


Alternate Season 3

by Son_of_a_Preacherman



Series: Daria's Creek [3]
Category: Daria (Cartoon), Dawson's Creek
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 03, Alternate Universe, Boat racing, Boats and Ships, Camping, Crossover, Documentaries, F/M, Film Festivals, High School, Love Triangles, M/M, Minor Violence, Party, Polyamory, Theatre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23036167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Son_of_a_Preacherman/pseuds/Son_of_a_Preacherman
Summary: Exactly what it sounds like. Continues on from my last story.
Relationships: Andie McPhee/Pacey Witter, Dawson Leery/Joey Potter, Jack McPhee/Will Krudski, Jen Lindley/Will Krudski, Joey Potter/Pacey Witter
Series: Daria's Creek [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1464124
Kudos: 2
Collections: Preacherverse





	1. Episode 1 - Back to Capeside

**Author's Note:**

> This story follows on from my last story The Creek Gang Visit Lawndale. “Daria” characters will be largely absent, but will show up in a side story.
> 
> My motivation for writing this is an overall frustration with this season. In particular, the love triangle, the way it cheapened Andie and her relationship with Pacey and what they did to Dawson, which took most of season 4 to fix (we’ll get to that). Will Krudski will have a much larger role and some secondary characters will be excised—specifically, Henry, A.J. and Eve. Principal and Nikki Green will have equally small roles (although I wish I’d done more with them), but we will hear from them afterwards.
> 
> Mostly, it will have the same beginning and end, but how we get there will be quite different. There will still be the same love triangle, but it will unfold differently, and it will also be a square, because I won’t ignore Andie.  
> All of my alternate seasons will have a theme song. The theme song for this season will be “I Don’t Want to Wait”, by Paula Cole, for obvious reasons.
> 
> * * * * *
> 
> Special Thanks goes out to my proofreaders, in no particular order; Sara, Jacinta, Neonhomer, Richard, Nicole, Maruisz, Kim and Mia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pacey and Dawson meet an old friend, who decides to spend some time in Capeside. Joey learns a secret from Andie and then does something monumentally stupid.

Pacey was driving Dawson back to Capeside after the latter had spent much of the summer interning with his mom in Philadelphia. Shortly after crossing the border from New York into Connecticut, they saw a hitchhiker. Neither of them would probably have given the guy a second look, if not for the cardboard sign he was carrying which had the word ‘Capeside’ scrawled across it. Without needing to say anything, they decided to pull over and pick him up.

“So, you guys heading to Capeside?” he said.

“Will Krudski?” Dawson and Pacey said in unison and then looked back.

“Well, isn’t this a nice coincidence,” Will said.

“How long has it been?” Pacey asked.

“It must have been...” Dawson started.

“A very long time indeed,” Will finished when it was clear Dawson couldn’t remember.

“So, what brings you back to Capeside?” Pacey inquired.

“I kinda had a falling out with my family. I can’t go back there right now. I was gonna ask if I could crash with one of you for a while.”

“Well, don’t look at me,” Pacey said defensively. “My family’s not much better than yours.”

“You can stay with me as long as you need. I’m sure my dad won’t mind,” Dawson said reassuringly.

“And your mom?” Will asked.

“She’s out of the picture. It’s a long story.”

“They split up and she’s now working in Phillie. We’re on out way back from there now,” Pacey interjected.

“Apparently not that long,” Dawson said, slightly annoyed.

“So, Pace, your family still giving you problems?”

“You have no idea...”

* * *

Jack had moved in with Jen and Grams nearly three months ago. The three of them were now used to each other and had developed a shorthand. It was the middle of summer, and they had nothing in particular to do today. But they all got up around the same time; Grams cooked a hearty breakfast for the three of them, Jack washed up, and Jen saw a note on the fridge for her to buy more milk. This had become so routine, they didn’t even need to say anything about it, but they still engaged in small talk. Afterwards, Jack and Jen left to see what they could get up to today. Grams smiled and realized that, even though it wasn’t conventional, they were a family.

* * *

Joey was in Providence visiting Andie in the mental hospital. She hadn’t had any visitors since her little trip to Lawndale, but she was keeping busy. Jack and her dad still called from time to time and she lied and said she was okay. It was second nature to her at this point.

“So, how are you?” Joey asked

“I’m actually doing pretty well. They said I should be ready to go home next week.”

“No you’re not,” Joey said, in a somewhat accusative tone. “You can lie to your dad, Jack and the doctors, but you can’t lie to me.” And was shocked with what she had said, but decided to go with it.

“Okay, fine, but you can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. You have to promise,” Andie insisted.

“Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye,” Joey said, trying to lighten the mood.

“When I first arrived, there was a guy, another patient. We realized we’d shared a lot of similar experiences, and one thing lead to another, and before either of us knew it...” She trailed off.

“What?” Joey was now intensely curious.

“We slept together.”

“And Pacey…?”

“Can never know.”

Joey was shocked, she took a moment to adsorb what she had just heard.

“Well, he won’t hear it from me,” Joey said and everything about her tone and body language said she was serious.

“Enough about me, how have you been spending your summer? What’s been happening in Capeside?”

“Well, I’ve mostly been worried about what’s going to happen when I see Dawson again. We didn’t really leave things on the best of terms. But I have a plan...”

And now it was Andie turn to hang on Joey’s every word.

* * *

Dawson, Pacey and Will arrived back at Capeside late than afternoon. Rather than going home, they first stopped by Leery’s fresh fish. Will was impressed that Dawson’s dad had finally gotten around to starting his own business after so many years of talking about it.

“Hey Pete, where’s my dad?” Dawson said, approaching the counter.

“Hey Dawson, he’s out of town for the week on business. He’ll be back day after tomorrow.”

Just then the three jocks in varsity jackets piped up:

“Hey did you hear that? Party at Dawson’s,” the first jock, named Matt Caulfield, said

“Yeah,” said the second.

“Woo,” said the third, and they started high fiving and fist pumping each other.

“Oh great,” Dawson said, annoyed. “Just what I need.”

“Welcome back to Capeside,” Pacey said with mock enthusiasm.

They ordered a to-go meal, grabbed it, and left.

“Before we go our separate ways, I have one last group activity for us,” Pacey said, and the others looked inquisitive.

They stopped by the post office and Pacey picked up a small package. They then headed down to the waterfront. They finally found a wreck of a boat that was in a field just behind the docks.

“And here we are, kiddies, this little baby here is my new pride and joy,” Pacey said, this time with genuine enthusiasm.

“It’s a piece of junk,” Dawson said scornfully.

“It’s a fixer-upper,” Pacey corrected.

“You paid money for this?” Will asked snarkily.

“No, I got it from impound. I convinced my dad not to put it up for auction. One of the benefits of being the Police Chief’s son.”

“What was in that package you got?” Dawson asked, figuring it had to be related somehow.

Pacey unsealed one end and slid out a wooden sign with the words “True Love” painted on it.

“Every ship needs a name,” Pacey said.

“Now that that’s out of the way, the reason I’ve asked the two of you hear today...” Pacey said, producing a couple of bits of sandpaper, wrapped around small pieces of wood.

“Wax on, wax off,” he said, making circular motions.

Dawson got it instantly and picked up the sandpaper and got to work.

Will scoffed, but got on with it anyway.

“So, shall I tell you my master plan?” Pacey said in his best mad scientist voice.

“This should be interesting,” Will said a bit snarkily, and Dawson was silent but curious.

“The plan is to have her up and running by the end of the school year and take Andie sailing around the Bahamas next summer. Then and only then will I propose to her.”

“Assuming she gets checked out in time,” Dawson said.

Pacey had explained Andie’s situation in the car, but he wasn’t sure he fully understood, so he remained silent.

“Of course she will be,” Pacey insisted. “I believe in her.”

Apparently that was all they needed to keep sanding.

* * *

The three of them finally arrived at the Leery family home shortly after sundown to find the party in full swing. Dawson’s stress level immediately went into overload. Jen and Jack were standing downstairs drinking and chatting when Jen spied the three of them entering.

“Hey Dawson,” she said, waving them over. “Great party,” she added.

Dawson mumbled something under his breath.

“So, who’s your friend?” Jack asked.

“Will Krudski,” Will said, introducing himself and extending his hand.

“And who might you be?” he said flirtatiously, staring straight at Jen.

Dawson heard noise coming from upstairs so headed up to investigate.

“See you later Dawson,” Jack yelled as Dawson ascended the stairs.

* * *

Dawson finally arrived in his bedroom to see Joey lying seductively, wearing a sexy negligee.

“Hey Dawson, long time no see,” Joey said in her most seductive voice.

Dawson froze and was completely silent. He had no idea how to respond. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement.

After several seconds, a noise that sounded like something big had just broken came from outside. Dawson went to investigate.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” he said nervously.

Dawson then climbed out the window and down the ladder to see several broken pot plants and a lawn chair in a few pieces and yelled at the person responsible.

He eventually returned to see that Joey was now asleep. He returned downstairs and found Pacey.

“Can you take Joey home?” he asked.

“Sure, no problem. man,” he replied and then got Jack, Jen and Will to help him clean up since the party was now dying down.

“I’m sorry this isn’t the best...” Dawson began to concede.

“It’s still better than what I left behind,” Will said, adding, “Don’t worry about it, man.”

* * *

Pacey dragged the semi-conscious Joey into the Witter Wagon, drove her home, then took her into the house, without waking anyone. This was no small feat. He then put her into bed, when she started to stir.

“It didn’t work, Daria, he didn’t go for it. Andie, I guess he doesn’t love me.”

Pacey realized she was talking in her sleep. But what she said next took really piqued his attention.

“I promise Andie, I’ll never tell Pacey. Never, ever!”

“What won’t you tell me, Jo?” he asked quietly.

“Pace, where am I and how did I get here?” Joey said, now awake.

“You’re at home and in bed. As for the how, I think you’d rather not know.”

Joey cringed as she pieced together part of the evening’s events.

“Goodnight, Jo,” Pacey said, leaving.

“Wait!” Joey cried out. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

So Pacey sat down in Joey’s bed and she sat up and placed her head on his shoulder and, after a few seconds, started crying.


	2. Episode 2 - Back to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gang start their Junior year of high school and meet their new Principal. Meanwhile, Jen reinvents herself and shocks everyone.

Dawson, Pacey and Will walked to school together, it was the first day back of junior year. There was two years left of High School. It was too soon to think of college for most students, including these three.

They approached the school just in time to see a car pull up. Will didn’t recognize the car. Out of the car stepped Jack and Joey. Jack immediately saw the three of them and waved them over.

“I have someone here who really been looking forward to seeing you” Jack said, but it wasn’t clear who he was addressing.

Out stepped Andie, looking as cute and energetic as ever. Instantly Pacey raced forth and picked her up in his arms, spun her around and kissed her passionately for several seconds. Afterwards, they stared at each other nose to nose, faces filled with affection. They were making up for lost time and they wouldn’t let a single second get away from them.

Finally Dawson spoke up breaking the awkward silence.

“Good to see you again Andie” Dawson said.

“You too, Dawson. All of you” Andie replied “except..” she began staring at Will, confused

“Sorry, I’m Will. Will Krudski” he said extending his hand, she reciprocated

“Pacey and Dawson’s friend. I’ve heard about you!”

“And I’ve heard...” he trailed off.

“Anyway, if you don’t want to talk about it, I totally understand, but if you ever need anyone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on...” Will continued

“I’ll keep that in mind, but for now, I’m feeling better and ready to get back to school” She said with conviction, when a middle aged African-American man in a suit approached her.

“Miss McPhee, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Principal Green.”

“So, you’re the new Principal?”

“Yes, and I’ve been informed of your **situation** ” he said, trying to sound sensitive “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to make things easier for you”

He then turned his attention to the others

“Of course, I will be paying very close attention to you, Mr Leery, and you too Miss Potter”

And then he walked off, leaving Dawson and Joey very confused.

He then turned back and said “Mr Krudski, my office, now please” in a more firm, but still polite tone.

As Will walked off he turned back and said “say hello to Capeside High’s newest student”

Even though they had walked to school together, none of them had expected to hear this.

Eventually, the group’s attention returned to one another as the five of them entered the school together. Dawson and Joey were still uncomfortable around each other, but did their best to hide it.

“So, where is the lovely Miss Lindley this fine day?” Pacey asked Jack, not taking his eyes off Andie or his hand away from her waist.

“I don’t know. She left early this morning. She made a cryptic remark about ‘reinventing herself’ or something and said we should meet her in the gym after school.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Will” Dawson said, suspecting he’d want to know, but not saying why.

* * *

Along the way, they saw a sign indicating that cheer-leading tryouts were happening in the gym, and it started to dawn on them what was going on. Yet what they were about to see still shocked them each to their core.

The five of them (sans Will) sat up in the bleachers and watched a series of auditions, each as cringe-worthy than the last. Andie decided to broach an important subject with Pacey

“So, we should probably come up with a study schedule for you for this semester.”

Pacey looked nervous. After a few seconds he said “Actually, I was kinda thinking Joey might help me out in that area.”

Joey looked awkward. Clearly they hadn’t spoken about this until now.

Eventually Pacey admitted “Just kidding, of course you’ll tutor me!”

Andie looked relieved and Joey looked annoyed.

“Pacey!” she said angrily and waved a threatening fist in his direction.

Finally, Will arrived and asked “Did I miss anything?”

“Nothing noteworthy, the thing were all here to see is...” Andie started.

“Jen Lindley” A voice announced in a tone that indicated they were over it.

“… just about to start” Andie finished.

Out walked Jen in a stock standard cheer-leading uniform, fishnet stockings, black boots, black hair and goth make up, holding pom-poms.

Jen shot a glace back and saw her friends sitting there. She winked then turned her attention back to the front.

“Cheer, cheer, cheer

Yell, yell, yell

Who cares who wins, we’re all going to hell”

She said, waving her pompoms as ridiculously as she could.

She then tossed the pompoms to one side and performed a perfect back-flip, somersault and landed on her feet, facing the front.

She then bowed insincerely and walked off.

The three cheerleaders and the five at the back were equally shocked, but also impressed.

Jen then walked to the back of the gym and asked her friends out the front in a few minutes, she had to get changed.

After what seemed like forever (about half an hour) Jen emerged, dressed in her regular clothes, but still wearing her make-up and fishnets.

Andie spoke up “Jen that was...”

“Incredible!” Jack finished off.

The others nodded in agreement.

“You guys don’t know the half of it” Jen said as they began walking towards the parking lot.

“They made me the leader of their little cult” She said with exasperation.

“I’m not surprised, Jen you’re incredible” Will said, beaming with admiration.

“Hey Jen, I’m proud of you” Dawson said sincerely, and Jen shot back a look that indicated she didn’t buy it, or didn’t appreciate it.

“You know, you have only yourself to blame” Pacey said with clear sarcasm.

“What did you expect?” Joey added.

“So you tried to be subversive and they took you seriously? Hey, it happens” Will said with sincerity.

“I really admire you for trying” he added.

“Thanks new guy” Jen added with just a hint of derision.

“So, you wanna go out sometime?” Will asked.

The two of them stopped and looked at each other as the others took a step back, but were still within earshot.

“You only want to go out with me because I’m a cheerleader, the **head** cheerleader, in fact”

Will looked shocked. This was clearly not his motivation and it was quite obvious to all of them.

“Okay, lets go out. Let’s go out right now. Where do you want to go?”

“Well, since I’m new in town, I was hoping you could pick the place” He said

The two of them then walked off together as the others were still in a state of mild shock at what they had just seen.

“So, anyone want a ride home?” Jack asked, unlocking Andie’s car, which she wasn’t up to driving at the moment

Andie got in the car and kissed Pacey goodbye several times and they drove away

This left Pacey, Joey and Dawson.

“So, what am I going to do with you two, huh?” Pacey asked, finally noticing how awkward the two of them still were with each other.

He had hoped to mitigate the problem by calling attention to it, but instead he had made it worse. The two were now actively avoiding each others’ gaze and staring at the ground.

“Okay, fine. But you’ll eventually have to deal with this.”

Joey and Dawson parted ways. Pacey decided to follow Dawson home.


	3. Episode 3 - Not the Blair Witch Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawson makes a Blair Witch knock-off, with the help of Jen, Pacey and Joey. Andie and Jack have a heart to heart, and Jen discovers a secret about Pacey even he didn't know. A secret that could ruin everything, for all of them.

Joey entered the video store expecting to see Dawson. Instead, Pacey was there.

“Please tell me you have _The Crucible_ ” she asked in a desperate tone.

“Afraid not. Is this because you failed to read the book and you need to write a review for it by tomorrow?”

“How did you know?” Joey asked, crankily.

“Dawson told me, but he has persuaded the teacher to instead make a documentary about Witch Island. He asked me and Jen to help and he asked me to ask you” Pacey said glibly.

“Why isn’t he asking me himself?” Joey was somewhat upset.

“You tell me. Why can’t you two be in the same room together without it being super awkward?” It was a legitimate question, that was met with a moment of silence.

“Alright” Joey said reluctantly “When and where?”

“I guess we’re about to find out” Pacey said, as much in answer to his own question as Joey’s.

* * *

Dawson was waving his camcorder in everyone’s faces, the way he always did when he had one. Pacey was standing next to him and tapped him on the shoulder because he had seen Jen and Joey approaching. Jen had just finished delivering to Joey a diatribe about how misogynistic witch hunts were. They were, after all, heading to Witch Island. A place where young women accused of witchcraft were exiled.

Upon meeting one anothers gaze, Dawson and Joey both looked down.

“Get a room you two” Pacey said snarkily, and Jen shot him an angry glance.

“Let’s go” Jen said, trying to diffuse the situation.

They shot some interviews with each other and a few others about Witch Island.

“I wouldn’t have lasted very long in the 16th century. I probably would have been burned at the steak pretty quickly” Jen said.

“It was the best make out place. Like, the best. I think it was the first place your mom and I did it...”

Mitch said, but Dawson yelled cut! Because it was getting too much for him.

“Those girls were dabbling in the black arts” Grams began, visibly making Jen uncomfortable

“They invited their fates”

“Personally, I believe in witchcraft. I think it would be pretty stupid not to” Pacey said, which caused Joey and Jen to roll their eyes.

“The whole thing is a cover story. The CIA did experiments there starting in the fifties and the witch stuff was a total cover” a random student said.

Joey was very uncomfortable having the camera on her. She eventually asked Dawson to turn it off.

* * *

The tour guide and boat operator was a woman named Karen. She met them at the dock.

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Dawson said, pointing the camera at her

“Makin’ a movie huh? Ever since the Blair Witch Project came out, every kid with a camcorder has been doing what you’re doing. I’ll tell you what I told them. Wait till we get there”

Dawson hit pause and lowered the camera.

As they arrived, Karen told them something very important.

“We have to leave before the sun goes down. You don’t want to be here at night”

They all knew she was serious

“Is there a bathroom on this island?” Pacey asked

“Yeah, its in the gift shop”, and she pointed the way. Pacey set off and Jen followed him.

Dawson switched his camcorder back on and Karen started her spiel about the island

“In the year 1692, 13 young women, well, teenage girls really, were banished to a small island off the New England coast, because they were suspected of practicing witch craft. One night, a year later, a fire raged out of control, killing them all.”

They had moved to the cemetery and Joey was counting the graves

“There’s only twelve” Joey noticed

“What?” Dawson asked

“Thirteen girls, only twelve graves” Joey pointed out

“Smart girl. Most people don’t notice. The thirteen girl’s name was Mary Waldeck” Karen said

“What happened to her?” Joey asked

“No one knows. Her body was never found”

Joey was starting to look very upset

* * *

Pacey exited the bathroom to notice Jen was going through a book.

“Anything interesting?” He asked

“Its a book of spells. Here’s an interesting one. Find out the name of your true love. Wanna try?”

“Sure” Pacey said, grinning from ear to ear.

Luckily, all the necessary ingredients were right there in the gift shop.

They mixed a brew and then had to drop a powder into it.

“The first letter of your true love’s name will then appear” Jen read from the book.

“You wanna go first?” She asked.

“Why not” Pacey said, still thinking this was amusing.

He dropped the powder in and a letter seemed to appear.

It was a J.

“Huh?” They both said in unison and looked at each other.

Then Jen tried. Another J.

“Well, that’s weird. Is my true love myself?”

“Are you my true love?” Pacey asked. They were both confused.

Karen then approached the duo.

“What are you doing?” She demanded.

“Just a little dabbling in the black arts” Jen said light heartedly

“Well, be careful. That stuff’s powerful, and it can have unforeseen effects”

Dawson and Joey walked in.

“Don’t go into the woods...” Karen told the four of them.

“...but if you do, we have a map” She said handing it to them.

“Damn kids” she muttered under her breath, softly enough so none of them could hear.

Pacey and Jen then wandered off into the woods and Joey and Dawson walked back to the dock as the sun began to go down.

* * *

“Time to go” Karen said as she started the boat. Dawson and Joey were on the dock, but were reluctant to get in the boat.

“In or out?” she demanded.

“We’re not leaving without our friends” Dawson said assertively, before turning to Joey and saying “right?”

“Right” she confirmed.

“Your funeral” Karen said, as she steered the boat away from the island.

* * *

Back at school, Andie approached Jack.

“I miss you Jack. I miss having my big brother around” she said.

“You’ll manage” he said “I’m proud of how well you’ve recovered”

“What if I’m not as recovered as you think?” She asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean something happened in the facility, something I haven’t really dealt with”

“What?” Jack was starting to worry

“Okay, before I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially Pacey. You don’t...”

“Of course” he said reassuringly “You can tell me anything”

“I kinda slept with someone. Another patient”

“You mean like you shared a bed?” He asked awkwardly.

“No, I don’t”

“Oh….

Oooh!”

“I mean it, you can’t tell Pacey, or anyone!” she insisted

“Does anyone else know?”

“Only Joey”

“Why Joey?” He was slightly annoyed that she heard about it before he did.

“Because, she visited me, and you didn’t. Not as much” She didn’t mean it negatively, it was just a statement of fact.

“I’m sorry. I really should have come to visit you more” He said apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it. Now, do we have a deal?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye” He said, both seriously and lightheartedly. She smiled at that.

* * *

Pacey and Jen got lost in the woods and found a small abandoned hut in the woods. Since it was getting dark and they figured they were there for the night, they figured they’d hold up there for the night and hopefully get picked up in the morning.

As the lay down on the earthen floor, they were overcome with an urge they didn’t see coming.

The next moment they were making out and getting ready to do it.

The moment after that, Dawson and Joey came bursting in through the door and Pacey and Jen quickly separated.

“Don’t you feel any sympathy for those women?” Joey asked in a tone that was both sad and accusatory.

“Of course, but as a filmmaker I have to remain objective” Dawson replied calmly

“Ahem” Pacey said

“Oh thank god you guys are okay” Dawson said, putting the camcorder down and hugging the two of them.

“Now that were all back together, what’s the plan?” Joey asked.

“Well, since our lovely hostess has abandoned us for the evening, I suggest we try and get some shut-eye and hope she returns in the morning” Pacey suggested.

“That sounds like a good idea” Dawson said.

But before that happened, the two boys walked off to one side leaving the two girls.

“I see you two are getting along again” Pacey remarked.

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure” Dawson replied “She’s taking this island’s tragic back story a bit personally”

* * *

The two groups were far enough away so they couldn’t clearly hear one another’s voices.

“Are you okay?” Jen asked Joey.

“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” Joey replied.

“Because you seem pretty rattled by this whole thing”

“Of course I’m rattled. Why wouldn’t I be. Thirteen innocent young women sentenced to exile and dying in a fire, except one who’s totally unaccounted for and whose spirit is probably still haunting this island”

“Why don’t you sit down and tell me what’s really going on?” Jen suggested.

“What do you mean?” Joey honestly didn’t know.

“Well, its just that you’ve said more words to Dawson on this trip than you have in the entire past few months” Jen observed.

“Meaning?” Joey demanded.

“Nothing” Jen conceded and Joey decided to drop it.

* * *

During the night, the four were sleeping on the floor. It was earthen so it was soft enough, if a little grimy. Pacey and Jen awoke during the night and were again overcome with the urge to rip each others clothes off.

“This is probably one of the side effects were warned about” Jen suggested

“So?” Pacey said.

“You have someone waiting for you back on the mainland. We both do.”

“You and Will have had, what, one date. What’s up with that by the way? Are you two like a couple now?”

“I guess so.”

More making out.

“The J, it wasn’t me” Jen said

“What are you talking about?” Pacey asked

“Its her” she said pointing to Joey who was fast asleep on the floor, and Pacey looked like he’d just shown up to class and realized he was naked.

“Dammit Lindley, why did you have to say that? Now you can’t unsay it” He said slightly annoyed, but more worried that she had just opened Pandora's box.

“What were you going to do, take that one to your grave?”

“Yeah, that was the plan”

“Well, its a bad plan. It was going to come out sooner or later”

“Yeah, well I’d really appreciate if...”

Jen gestured zipping her lips shut when the windows started to shake.

Then the furniture started rocking, on its own.

Then voices started to fill the room. At first, they were whispers, but they got louder and louder.

At that point, then Dawson and Joey woke up.

Then a fiery explosion appeared to engulf the ceiling.

Luckily, Dawson’s instincts kicked in and he captured much of this on film.

The four of them then ran out the door, fearing for their lives. They discovered to their surprise that the sun was rising (it appeared from the inside of the hut, which had many windows, that it was still completely dark). They raced down to the dock to find Karen waiting for them.

“I told you kids stay here after dark” she scoffed at them.

* * *

“I honestly have no idea what happened or what we experienced, but there it is, captured on video, for all time” Dawson said to the class.

“Who’s that on the dock” A student asked, without raising their hand.

Dawson paused the tape.

“It looks like a teenage girl” they added.

Dawson was shocked. He didn’t notice this earlier.

* * *

“What do you think Jo?” Dawson asked Joey, now back in his bedroom, reviewing the tape.

“I think we were set up. She just happened to have maps of the woods and warned us not to go there, hint, hint. I think she was subtly manipulating us the whole time. And that woman on the dock was totally her accomplice. Now you tell me Dawson, that explosion, the house and the furniture rocking, what would be involved in setting that up if it was a movie”

“You’re such a cynic. What happened to empathizing with the plight of the girls in the cemetery?”

“ I’m complex, I can do both” Joey replied

Dawson smiled.

“And what about us?” Joey asked

“What about us?” he wondered aloud

“Are we friends again?”

“I hope so.”

“But its not like before.”

“It doesn’t have to be, we can move on with our lives. Our relationship can evolve. Things will get back on track.”

They both smiled at that.

* * *

Jen entered the video store to see Pacey with his legs up on the counter. He instantly stood up upon seeing her.

“At ease soldier” she said, trying to calm him down.

“I guess we never did finish our conversation” Pacey conceded.

“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” Jen assured him.

“Well it better be. This information has the potential to destroy everyone and everything I care about” Pacey said dramatically.

“Well they won’t hear it from me. But sooner or later it will rear its ugly head. And I don’t think you’re going to like what happens when it does”

“Hence the need for secrecy” Pacey said politely but firmly.

“No one will ever hear it from me. Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye” Jen said.

Pacey smiled at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between this chapter and the next one is a side story called Daria’s Weekend in the Country and Mystik Spiral play Capefest ‘99.
> 
> I strongly recommend reading it, before continuing.


	4. Episode 4 - Higher Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey learns college may not be all she hopes and Dawson learns a harsh truth about film-making. Their new friends help them deal with these realizations.

Dawson and Joey stepped off the bus in Boston. This was not their first time visiting the city, but they weren’t really accustomed to big cities. That said, they acclimatized pretty well when they needed to.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Joey asked Dawson

“I can figure it out” Dawson said “You?”

“Yeah” Joey replied “What time are we heading back again?”

“The last bus leaves at 11.30, so we should probably aim to be back by then” Dawson replied

“Dawson, not that you’ll need it, but good luck” Joey said

“You too Jo”

And with that they parted ways

* * *

Joey knocked on the door nervously

“It’s open” a voice said

Joey opened the door to discover a girl sitting on a chair facing the door, with a desk behind her. There was another girl sitting on her lap and they were being quite affectionate.

“I’m sorry. I must have the wrong room” Joey said

“That’s okay, what room were you looking for?” lap-sitting girl asked

“314” Joey said

“This is 314” The chair-sitting girl said

“You must be...” and she swung around to pick up a piece of paper form the desk

“Joseph Potter”

“That doesn’t say Joseph” The other girl objected “It says…

“Josephine?”

“That would be me. And I guess you’d be Christopher and Larry”

“Not quite. This is Laura, my roommate and girlfriend and I’m Christine” one of the girls corrected

Joey quickly picked up she was the perky one. Whereas the other girl was the mellow, laid-back one

“Nice to meet you both. I guess you’re here to show me a taste of college life”

“She is. I’m not” The perky girl said “I have to get going. I’m going to a student film festival. I hear its going to be pretty cool”

“I know. My friend is entered in it” Joey said

“What’s your friends name?”

“Dawson Leery”

“And his movie”

“ _The legend of Witch Island_ ”

“I’ll be sure to check it out. Maybe show some encouragement during the Q&A”

“Thanks” Joey said

“Well, I’d better get going. You two have fun, and don’t stay out late. Remember, honey, she’s still in high school”

“Alright” they kissed and then the perky girl left

“So, what do you want to do first?” the chill girl asked

* * *

“Name?” The girl asked

“Dawson Leery”

“Name of movie?”

“The Legend of Witch Island”

“Genre?”

“Documentary”

“You didn’t fill in a synopsis”

“There wasn’t enough space. You see it started out as…” Dawson started

“I don’t care. Favorite Director?” the girl interrupted

“Steven Spielberg”

The girl rolled her eyes at this

“Date of Birth?”

“3-14-83”

“Say Cheese” and she took his picture

“Sign here, here and here”, he did

She handed him an ID and said “This will get you into the screening room. Next!”

* * *

“So, I’m guessing you’ve never met a gay person before” the mellow girl, Laura said

“What makes you say that?” Joey asked blushing

“The fact that you’re from a small town. And the way you reacted to mine and Krissy’s PDA a moment ago”

“Well, for your information, last year, my boyfriend and I broke up because he came out”

“Cool” Laura said, but then seeing the look on Joey’s face said “Not cool. Cool that he figured it out, but not that it happened that way”

“So, aren’t you going to show me around campus or something” Joey said changing the subject

“Sure, but I have class in like half an hour. You can tag along if you like”

“What subject”

“American literature. Its a snooze-fest, but its pretty easy”

“Cool” Joey said, and they both smiled

* * *

“Nice of you to join us Miss Burke. And I see you have a friend with you” The lecture had said

Joey and Laura had tried to sneak in late, but had caught professor Jordan’s eye and wrath.

“Don’t be shy, introduce yourself”

“I’m Joey”

“Go easy on her. She’s still in high school”

“And tell us Joey, what’s your favorite book?”

“ _Little Women_ ” Joey said confidently

“Who here has read little women, raise your hands”

About two thirds of the class raised their hands

“And what do we all think of Little Women, class”

And the class proceeded to tear the book to shreds. They threw around words like ‘Anti-feminist’ and referred to the author as “A minor author’ who ‘wrote for money’

Joey looked pretty upset and Laura was really feeling guilty

* * *

Dawson’s movie had just finished and the crowd reaction was generally quite underwhelming. There were one or two claps, but mostly silence until the MC got onto the stage and said “And that was ‘The Legend of Witch Island’. If you’d like to know more, the director, Dawson Leery as kindly agreed to answer any questions you might have. Mr Leery, where are you?”

At that moment, Dawson wished he was anywhere but there, or that the earth would crack open and swallow him up. Nevertheless, he summoned up all his strength and walked up to the stage to face the scornful and bored crowd.

When he tried to talk, he make the mistake of being to close to the mic and causing feedback. _As if this day could get any worse_ , he thought to himself.

“Hi. I’m Dawson Leery, director of The Legend of Witch Island. Does anyone have any questions…

or comments?”

There was a moment of silence before someone finally raised their hand.

“Tell us more about this Joey character?” they asked. It was the perky girl Joey had met earlier. It was all that she could think of to ask. Adding “She seems cool”

* * *

“That was brutal” Joey said

“Yeah, college can be like that sometimes. I’m sorry that happened” Laura said

“Is it always like this?” Joey asked

“No, sometimes its worse.” Joey looked incredulous “Then there’s the part where you have to work a stupid part-time job, yet you’re still broke and starving all the time. But I you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Joey?” she asked sneakily

“I guess not.” Joey said and they both grinned slightly

“Its not all bad. Sometimes you get to meet cool people, like I did today”

Joey looked confused for a moment, but then realized Laura was talking about her and smiled.

“So, tell me about _Little Women_?” Laura asked

“Why, so you can eviscerate me, like your class did?”

“Actually, I want to write a paper about it, and I need to get started because its due tomorrow”

Joey liked this idea.

* * *

Dawson was walking out of the screening room and was clearly upset

“Are you alright?” the girl from earlier asked

“Fine” he said in a tone that showed he clearly wasn’t

“That was brutal, but I’ve seen worse”

“Good for you”

“Look, you’ve clearly not had to deal with anything like that before and I’m sorry, but...”

“But what?” Dawson was clearly not going to like what came next

“You were riding the coat-tails of a cultural phenomenon that was over a year ago...”

“Thank you for your input miss…?”

“Nikki, Nikki Greene”

“Nice to meet you Nikki. Any further notes you’d like to share?”

“Take this Joey character for example. Who is she and who is she to you? She’s the most interesting part of your story and yet you seem to have overlooked this”

“How perceptive of you” Dawson said, barely containing his frustration

“Don’t patronize me. I’m just trying to give an honest appraisal”

“Well, forgive me, its not every day I’m subjected to an unsolicited review from...”

“From, what? A volunteer, a bureaucrat. Next time, I’ll stick to filling in forms and taking photos” and she walked off

* * *

“It was brutal” The perky girl, Kristine was relaying the story of Dawson’s screening to Joey and Laura

“But I’ve seen worse. At least no one threw things this time”

Joey looked upset

“Look, I know this kid is your friend” she offered

“He’s a little more than that” Joey objected, but didn’t go into details

“My point is, this happens to artists all the time. If it doesn’t make him quit, it will make him a lot stronger and a lot better at his craft, in order to prove all his doubters wrong”

“Well, when you put it like that...” Joey said “I guess he’s not going to give up his dream because of one bad screening”

“So, do you have any plans for tonight?” Laura asked “Anything we could help you with?” she added

“Actually, I was going to see a band, _The Dave Matthews Band_. My friend scored me tickets, because she knows the opening act. But I only have two of them.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got a paper to write” Laura insisted “I’m thinking of calling it ‘ _In Defense of Little Women_ ’”

“So, tell me about this band, and the opening act?” Christine was intrigued

* * *

Dawson decided to check out another screening. Perhaps, seeing another film will help give him some perspective and help him work out what went wrong, he thought to himself. When it was over, it got a standing ovation. The MC asked for the host to join him on stage. It was Nikki, the girl from before.

“Congratulations” Dawson said, upon seeing her in the corridor, a few minutes later

“You didn’t mention you were a filmmaker before” He added

“Why should I have?” she asked

“Because I probably would have viewed your feedback in a very different light”

“Hence why I didn’t tell you. So, what did you think?” she asked

“Well, it was clearly better than mine”

“Don’t be like that. Its not a competition”

“But it is and you are clearly way ahead of me”

“But artists get better by helping each other” Nikki insisted

“Yeah, I guess. I suppose I just don’t think I have anything to offer after what happened earlier today” Dawson admitted

“You’ll get over that. All artists have to deal with the sting of negative feedback and if we don’t quite because of it, we get better”

"Whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger?” Dawson suggested

“Something like that” Nikki said and smiled

* * *

Between the opening act and the headliners hitting the stage, Christine decided to ask Joey something she’d been wondering all day

“What did you mean before when you said you’re film-making friend was ‘a little more than that’”?

“Wouldn’t you like to know” Joey said and grinned deviously

Joey gave a very condensed version, leaving out many important details. She then evaded all the follow up questions.

* * *

Back in the Screening room, the winners of the festival were being announced. Dawson and Nikki were sitting next to one another.

“And the winner of the first prize is...” The announcer began

“ _A Tale of Suburbia_ by Micheal Joseph”

Nikki ran out of the room and Dawson followed her

“What?” she said realizing he was following her

“You were robbed” Dawson said, genuinely and intensely

“Now you’re just being sarcastic” she replied bitterly

“I’ve never been more serious in my life. Your film was head and shoulders above the competition”

“I’d like to be alone now”

“Why?” he said, still confused and irritated

“For the same reason, you did after your screening”

“I get it, failure is tough, but what happened to you and what happened to me was very different. I learned that I still need to improve and mature as a director and you learned that Film Festivals are unfair”

“Did you mean what you said?”

“Every word of it” and she could tell by the look in his eyes, he meant it.

* * *

Dawson was waiting at the bus station for Joey. She was cutting it very close. Instead he saw Nikki. “Hey Dawson” she said

“Fancy seeing you here” he said “I take it you’re going home”

“I’m doing the divorced kid shuffle. Mom just got transferred to Chicago, so I’m heading to see my dad. He’s just become a high school principal”

“Where?” Dawson asked

“A place called Capeside”

“You’re kidding” Dawson said as his eyes lit up

“You’ve heard of it?” She asked

* * *

“Hey Joey, you’re pretty cool, for a high schooler” Christine said, as she escorted Joey to the bus station

“Thanks. You and Laura are pretty cool yourselves” Joey replied

“Do you wanna keep in touch?” She asked

“I’d like that” Joey replied

“Cool” Christine said and handed her a piece of paper with contact info on it, and Joey wrote her phone number on a piece of paper which she handed to Christine

“If you’re ever back in Boston, let us know. Laura and I would love to hang out with you again”

“Same thing if you’re ever in Capeside, but I’m sure Capeside is too boring for a couple of college girls like you two” Joey said, with a hint of snark

“Don’t be so sure” Christine said in a similar tone

Joey caught Dawson’s eye. He was chatting to someone

“Well, its been real” and she walked off, and then a hand tapped Joey’s shoulder

“Joey, you’ll never guess who I met” Dawson said, surprising Joey

“Nikki Green” she said extending her hand

“Any relation to...”

“He’s my father”

“Small world, huh” she said and the three of them boarded the bus and sat together.

* * *

On the bus, Dawson and Nikki sat next to each other and Joey sat in front of them

“So, Capeside High has a film lab and its run by Mr Peterson. He’s notoriously stingy with the lab’s resources, but I can put in a good word for you” Dawson offered

“Thanks, but you don’t need to. We’ve already exchanged emails” Nikki said

“Then maybe you could put in a good word for me” Dawson suggested

Joey grinned, finding the whole thing amusing


	5. Episode 5 - The Arts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andie directs a play and it nearly destroys her. Jack helps her, but Jack is dealing with problems of his own. Luckily, Joey is able to give some words of encouragement, then Pacey steps in and saves the day. Meanwhile, Jen knows something they don't.

Dawson and Joey arrived at Capeside High’s film lab.

“Dawson, don’t you already own a video camera?” Joey asked

“Yes, but not a film camera”

“And the difference is...”

“Sort of like the difference between an etcher sketch and a plotter”

Nikki exited the room the two were about to enter, holding a camera

“The Aeroflex” Dawson observed

“She is a beauty” Nikki said

“And she’s all mine for the next seven days” Dawson said, conceitedly

“I don’t think so” Nikki said “I’ve just come from Mr Jordan’s office and he’s agreed I can have it for as long as I need. Joey, right?”

“And you must be Nikki” Joey replied

“And how long is that?” Dawson said over her

“Film-making isn’t fast food. You can’t rush it. You can have it when I’m done” Nikki said, walking off. Dawson was exasperated and Joey was amused.

* * *

Pacey decided to watch Jen at cheer-leading practice. He expected it to be a laugh, but was in no way prepared for what he saw.

The cheerleaders were wearing short, black skirts and black tank tops with a red letter A with a circle around them in red over the left shoulders. Pacey swore he'd seen this before, but he couldn’t remember where.

_1, 2, 3, 4, we don't care if we don't score, 5, 6, 7, 8, a few points would be really great, that's alright, that's okay, you're going to work for us someday. Gooooo Capeside_

Pacey was absolutely stunned.

“Hey Pace” Jen said approaching him. Give me a minute to change and I’ll be right with you

A moment later, she emerged in a black coat and jeans.

“Let’s walk and talk” Pacey said and they did

“You are having way too much fun with this” he added

“Just think of it Pacey. I’m responsible of killing off the last vestiges of Capeside’s school spirit. And all it took was a few sardonic, self aware cheers. This is what they get for electing me the head of their little Junta. Once I figured out they were genetically predisposed to not having their own identity, it was easy”

“And cheer-leading outfits for a certain Nirvana video”

“That too”

“ _Smells Like Teen Spirit_ , right?”

“If you say so”

“Why are you doing all this?” Pacey finally asked

“Its what Daria would want” Jen said matter-of-factly

“You’re still on that, can’t you just create your own identity? Why do you have to base yourself on someone else, you realize this makes you no better than your little minions, on some level”

“Maybe I don’t like who I am, or who I used to be. Maybe I just need this right now”

“If you say so” Pacey said “Anyway, there’s something I wanted to show you”

* * *

The once decrepit boat Pacey had gotten from impound thanks to his family connections, was starting to take shape. He showed Jen the name plate that bore the name ‘ _True Love_ ’

“So, could you give me a hand?” Pacey asked

“With what?”

Pacey pulled out a drill. “Just hold the sign in position, while I drill it into place”

She did. While Pacey was drilling, he explained his plan. To take Andie sailing around the Bahamas the following summer and propose to her.

“And that is why no one can ever know” Pacey said to cap it off

“Just so you know, I’ll never breathe a word of it” Jen assured him

“But?” Pacey said, suspecting that there was something more

“But, how do you think this ends for you?” Jen added

Pacey said nothing

“Because best case scenario, you and Andie are trapped in a loveless marriage, you grow to resent one another and the stress of this secret causes you to die of an ulcer at the age of 45” Jen said

“If I’m lucky” Pacey replied

They both realized this was an impossible situation and figured the best thing to do for the moment was to leave it.

* * *

Andie was directing a school play. The play was a stage adaptation of _Beowulf_. Jack was assisting her.

“I’m here to audition for the role of the _King of Denmark_.” It was Will.

“Whenever you’re ready” Andie said. She was somewhat desperate, because this role was proving to be the hardest

“This land has been terrorized by a beast named Grendel” Will read from the script

“I shall slay this beast for you” Another actor, playing the role of Beowulf read

“I sent ten of my bravest kinsmen to slay the beast. Not one returned. What chance do you have”?

“That’s enough” Andie said

and then she said to Jack “What do you think?”

“I think we’ve found our King. But we may want to recast our lead” Jack said

* * *

Dawson walked up to Nikki’s house to find her sitting out the front

“Is this about the camera?” Nikki asked

“I just wanted to mention something” Dawson said

“Go ahead”

“I know you’re the Principal’s Daughter, but I don’t think that should entitle you to special treatment” Dawson said. Nikki was shocked, but before she could reply, her father walked up

“I thought I heard a familiar voice. If it isn’t my second favorite student filmmaker. How are you Dawson?” he asked

“I’m good” Dawson replied

“I knew the two of you would hit it off. Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

“I can’t...” Dawson said awkwardly

“Daddy, I’m sure he has other plans” Nikki said, just as awkwardly

“Now wait a minute. As your father...” He said indicating Nikki “And as your principal” he said indicating both of them “I’m gonna have to pull rank. Besides, how often do I get the chance to have a meal with one of my students? I promise not to talk too much about my lovely daughter. Come on” He said in a genteel, yet authoritative tone and pointing inside.

* * *

“Dawson, you are looking maybe the only little girl that asked for a _super8_ camera for her birthday. Do you want to know the name of her first film?” Principal Greene asked

“Oh god” Nikki said, awkwardly. Dawson was all ears

“ _A Day in the life of Daddy_ ” he said, then asked “Has she enlisted your help for her newest project?”

“No. I don’t even know what its about” Dawson replied

“That’s between me and my crew”

“So, in order to find out, I have to offer my services”

“Are you offering?” she asked

“I think that’s a wonderful idea” Principal Greene interjected

“That won’t be necessary” Nikki said firmly

“Forget I mentioned it” her father replied defensively

* * *

Nikki invited Dawson into her bedroom.

“Your love of film isn’t evident in your decor” he observed

“Let me guess, you room is a shrine to Spielberg?”

“Er, pretty much. Is that a bad thing?”

“It just, there’s so much to be passionate about. Why limit yourself to one thing?” Nikki said

“But if you’re lucky enough to find that one thing, why not immerse yourself in it?”

“To be clear, I love film. In part, because it allows me to explore all the other subjects I’m interested in”

Dawson was skeptical, but listening

“If all you care about is film, you’ll just end up making movies about other movies and what good is that? Sorry about my dad. He’s been really aggressively trying to get me to make friends ever since the divorce” she said switching subjects abruptly, yet seamlessly

“I know the feeling” Dawson admitted

“So you’re parents are..”

“Separated since, well, the end of the last school year. Mom got a job in Philly and I’ve been living with my dad ever since. So, are you okay with it?”

“Not really” she admitted

“But you seem so…

well adjusted” Dawson observed

“It a well crafted mask. Underneath, I’m a really angry kid”

“How angry”

“Angry enough to make a movie about it”

“So, that’s what your movie is about”

“Basically”

* * *

Jack was running lines with Will backstage.

“I shall slay the beast Grendel” Jack read from the script

“I sent ten of my bravest kinsmen to slay the beast. None survived. What chance do you have?” Will said, without consulting the script

“Your kinsmen may have been brave, but they obviously lacked my skill”

…

Will forgot his line

Jack showed him the script.

Their faces got somewhat close to each other. They leaned into kiss one another, but then stopped. Then they heard Andie yelling in the next room. She was clearly in a panic and needed Jack.

“Our _Beowulf_ isn’t working out. We need a new _Beowulf_ ” Andie protested

“What did I do this time?” the actor asked defensively

“You’re just not right for the part” Andie said, and looked like she was about to break down.

Just then, Joey entered the room from one side and Pacey and Jen approached from the other and the two of them hung back for the moment. Joey approached Andie.

Joey grabbed Andie’s shoulders and said “Andie, look at me. Listen to my voice”

Andie did, but she was still panicked

“Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, in, and out.” She did

“Repeat after me. ‘ _I can do this_ ’”

“I can do this”

“say it with conviction”

“ **I can do this!** ”

“once more”

“ **I CAN DO THIS!** ”

“You can do this!” Joey reiterated

Andie calmed down and her breathing slowed

Pacey whispered to Jen “That, right there. That’s why no one can know” Jen realized she had a point.

Pacey then stepped onto the stage

“So, I hear you need a new Beowulf?” Pacey said

“Okay Pacey, let’s see what you’ve got”

Pacey read from the script, and nailed it from the start (Partly because he and Will had such great chemistry).

“Darren” Andie said to the actor who was previously playing Beowulf “You’re back to understudy”

“Fine” Darren replied, in a mildly annoyed tone

* * *

Two weeks later, they opened. Jack was handing out programs at the door. Andie was backstage, ensuring things went smoothly (and they did). Will and Pacey did some last minute rehearsals. Joey and Jen arrived together and spotted Nikki and Dawson. Introductions were made and the four sat together.

The crowd lights went down. They stage lights went on and everything came together beautifully. At least for that one night.


	6. Episode 6 - Ghosts of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pacey, Dawson and Will go camping. The others go to a party with someone from Jack's past. Some secrets come out and others lay buried.

Jen, Andie, Joey and Pacey were walking to school together, when they were approach by Jack.

“Matt Caulfield is holding a party tonight and we’re all going” Jack announced

“Sounds good, but I have other plans. Dawson and Will also give their apologies. A word, Lindley” Pacey said, pulling Jen off to one side

“I realised you’re right” he said quietly “I can’t keep this buried forever. So, Dawson, Will and I are going to go camping somewhere we used to hang out as kids, to remind him of our history, and then I’ll lay it all out and hope that it doesn’t end too badly”

“Okay, but tread carefully” Jen advised, and Pacey was off and Jen returned to the group

“What was that about?” Joey asked, after Jen rejoined the group

“Nothing” Jen said firmly, then changing the subject “You were saying something about a party?”

“The location is top secret, but I know the password” Jack paused dramatically, then said “I know Kung Fu!”

“Hey Jack, there’s something I wanted to mention...” Andie started, but Jack cut her off

“Tell me after school” Jack interrupted, and raced to class

Andie, Joey and Jen then walked into the school more slowly and awkwardly. Jen realised things were about to get dramatic, and not in a good way.

* * *

Joey and Jen went to the McPhee house together. On the way, Joey asked a pointed question.

“Do you think Pacey has been acting weird lately?”

“Not really. Why do you ask?” Jen replied, desperate not to say too much

“I’m not sure. I just feel like something’s been off with him, lately”

Fortunately for Jen, at that moment they reached the front door. Just as they were about to ring the door bell, a girl their age came up behind them. She was perky and excitable.

“Hey, are you guys friends of Jackers and Andie?” she said

“Huh?” Joey said, staring blankly

“Yes we are. I’ve never heard anyone call him _Jackers_ though” Jen replied

“That makes sense. It was my nickname for him. I don’t think he really liked it. I’m Kate, by the way”

“I’m Jen, and this is Joey. Nice to meet you”

All Joey could do was nod awkwardly and shake her hand.

Jack and Andie answered the door. Jack no longer lived there, but he’d gone there after school, at Andie’s request. Andie had something to tell him, but never got around to it. All of a sudden, he saw Kate’s face and realized what it was.

“I see you’ve already gotten acquainted” Andie said, diplomatically

“Good to see you again, Kate. Come in everyone. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Jack said

They came in and sat down.

“Andie, a word” Jack said subtly, but angrily while almost dragging her into the next room

“This is what you wanted to tell me” he said in an annoyed tone.

“Before you get upset, you should know that she called me. She wanted to see how you were. How we both were. If you recall, she and I were really good friends.” Andie said defensively

Meanwhile, Kate, Jen and Joey sat awkwardly and silently in the lounge room. After a moment, Andie and Jack emerged and Jack said “let’s go” and they all piled into his car.

* * *

Dawson, Pacey and Will finally found what they were looking for.

“Our fort!” Dawson exclaimed

“How old were we when we built this?” Pacey asked

“It was right before I left Capeside, so we must have been around nine or ten” Will offered

“And now they’re going to bulldoze it to built some condos” Dawson explained

“I feel like that’s a metaphor for something” Will suggested “But I don’t know what”

“Change” Dawson suggested “From childhood, to adolescence, into adulthood. Everything changes, you can’t go home again”

“Speak for yourself” Will said, observing the details of the fort, and discovering a box

Opening it, he said “Hey guys, come and take a look at this”

“The ticket stub from the first time I saw Jurassic Park” Dawson said “And the second and the third”

“That’s just sad” Will said, jokingly, or perhaps disapprovingly

“Deputy Doug’s pocket knife. Dad never found the evidence, but he still gave me the spanking of a lifetime”

Will found a photo “Hey Dawson, isn’t this you and Joey, how old are you in this?” he asked

“I don’t remember, six, seven, maybe”

“She was so beautiful, even then. We must have been blind not to notice” Pacey observed.

Will noticed something about the way Pacey said that last remark, but he didn’t say anything. But Pacey was clearly holding something back. If and when he was ready, he’d say what it was. Until then, there was clearly no point pushing it. _But_ _Dawson clearly has no idea_ , Will thought.

* * *

“So, I should just mention that I’m feeling emotionally fragile right now because my boyfriend broke up with me” Kate blurted out, adding “Because he realized he’s gay”

Jack and Andie were in the front and exchanged an awkward glance

Joey and Jen, who were in the back flanking Kate also exchanged a glance.

“What?” Kate asked, then suggested “I’m sorry if I’m oversharing. I know we’ve only just met”

And then there was silence.

* * *

Dawson, Pacey and Will were lying in their sleeping bags, under the stars. Will was fast asleep.

The song _Never Saw Blue Like That_ by Shawn Colvin begins to play

“Hey Dawson man, are you awake?” Pacey asked

“Yeah, what is it Pacey?” He could tell by Pacey’s tone he has something important to say

“I need to tell you something” Pacey said

And he did. The next thing Pacey knew, Dawson’s hands were around his throat and Will suddenly woke up and managed to pry them apart.

Pacey woke up, still struggling to breathe. It was all a dream. _But Dawson wouldn’t react that way for real, right?_ Pacey thought to himself.

* * *

Jack had managed to discover the location of the party earlier in the afternoon. It was the Capeside Golf Course.

The song _The Kids Aren’t Alright_ by The Offspring was playing

“I know Kung Fu” Jack said dramatically

“Okay, you’re in” Matt Caulfield said. “But you gotta pay the entry fee” he told them, and presented a plate of Jello shots.

“Yummy. Novocain for the soul” Andie said, and Joey shot her a disapproving look

“Red, pretty” Kate observed

Jen said nothing and simply downed hers

“What about you, doll?” Matt Caulfield asked

“It's an attractive offer. Although I'm sure you're dying for the chance to hold back my hair when I inevitably vomit up that nasty keg beer, I'm gonna have to take a rain check.” Joey replied, in a disapproving tone

“I’ll remember you said that” he promised. And he did

Jack and Kate then wandered off from the group momentarily

“Jack, you’re awfully quiet for someone I haven’t seen in a year” Kate observed

“It’s just weird to see you is all” Jack replied

* * *

 _The Kids Aren’t Alright_ plays again

“Has Pacey been acting weird lately?” Andie asked the two of them

“Not that I’ve noticed. _Jackers_ , never heard that before. I’m guessing they used to date?” Jen said

Joey noticed how Jen had changed the subject, but said nothing, as she found the new subject far more interesting.

“Yeah” Andie said nervously

“So, she’s had, not just one but two gay boyfriends?” Jen continued

“It looks like it” Joey said

“Does she know?’ Jen asked

“Know what?” Kate stuck up behind them

“Which of us used also used to date Jack” Jen said sneakily

“Its gotta be you” Kate said, decisively. “I see the way you two look at and talk to each other”

“Not quite” Jen said, pointing to Joey

“So, why did you break up?” Kate asked

“Funny you should ask...” Joey began, and Kate started crying

“That’s exactly what my last boyfriend said, right before he broke up with me” Kate said, sobbing

* * *

It was morning and Dawson, Will and Pacey all woke up at the same time

 _Never Saw Blue Like That_ plays again

“Dawson, there’s something I needed to tell you. You too, Will” Pacey started, hoping Will’s presence would make this time turn out better.

Pacey confessed his secret.

Dawson picked up his sleeping bag (which was rolled up), and saying nothing, stared at the two of them for a moment. Then started walking

“C’mon man, say something” Pacey cried out.

Dawson stopped for a moment, then kept walking

“Dawson!” Will yelled out

Again Dawson stopped. Looked back at the two of them. He had a vacant expression. He then turned back and continued walking.

“He’ll come around. Give him time.” Will said

“Not this time” Pacey said “I think this might actually be the end of our friendship”

Pacey woke up. It was sunrise and he was the only one awake. He decided to go for a walk, and think about what he was going to do next.

* * *

 _The Kids Aren’t Alright_ plays again

Kate was doing a beer headstand. Andie and Jen were cheering her on. Jack and Joey looked concerned. All of a sudden, the crowd parted and a bright light filled the area. A figure unknown to Kate, dressed in a Police uniform approached her (upside down of course) and shone a flashlight in her eyes.

“Doug” Joey said

“THIS IS THE CAPESIDE POLICE. EVERYONE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE.” A voice said over a megaphone, but to no avail. Apart from the five of them, almost everyone else had long since escaped.

* * *

Joey, Jen, Jack, Andie, Kate and Matt Caulfield sat in the prison cell, waiting to be processed.

Doug approached the cell and pointed to Joey.

She was then escorted to the interview room

“You’re in big trouble miss Potter. I know everything.” Doug said sternly

“I haven’t had a drop to drink” Joey said

“I’m not talking about the party. I’m talking about your little secret. The one that could absolutely ruin little brother’s existence” Doug explained

“I don’t know what you mean” Joey said trying to hide how nervous she was

“You’re body language and tone of voice say otherwise” Doug observed

“Okay, but its not my secret to tell. Its Andie’s” Joey admitted

“Really? And here I thought you and Pacey...

Nevermind. When Pacey gets back from his camping trip, you two need to have a chat. Hash things out”

“This isn’t deputy Doug talking. This is Pacey’s big brother” Joey realised, turning the tables, somewhat

“You can go back to the cell, for the moment. Tell Andie she’s up”

* * *

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Miss McPhee. An arrest like this won’t look good on your permanent record” Doug said, reading Andie like a book

“Please, Deputy Doug, just tell me what I have to do to make this go away” Andie said, fearfully

“Just tell me one thing, are you going to break Pacey’s heart?” Doug said

Andie was somewhat shocked by the change of subject, but no less fearful

“No, I mean, I didn’t set out to do it, it just sort of, happened...”

“What happened?” Doug pressed

“He was a patient at the mental hospital. We realized we had a lot in common, in terms of our experiences. One thing lead to another, and...”

“You cheated on Pacey. Does he know?” Doug finished

“No, and neither did you. You tricked me”

“What can I say, I love my kid brother. I don’t want to see him get hurt”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“No, I won’t. I'll leave that up to you to decide” Andie felt relieved.

* * *

While this was going on, Jack and Kate were sitting together in their cell.

“Hey Kate, there’s something you should know” Jack said

After a few seconds of silence, a wave of nausea came over Kate and passed, then she said “I know what this is. You’re gay, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, pretty much” Jack replied

Kate then turned to Joey

“Oh my god, that’s why you two broke up” Kate said, excitedly

“I guess this means it’s not me. It can happen to anyone”

Joey just sat there awkwardly.

“I guess so” She finally said

Andie then returned to the cell.

“Jack, you’re up” Doug yelled

* * *

“So, you’re gay, right?” Doug asked awkwardly

“Last time I checked” Jack replied, trying to lighten the mood

“You know how little brother likes to make fun of me?”

“You mean the way he constantly accuses you of being gay? yeah I’ve noticed”

“Could you, you know, persuade him to knock it off? I figure you’d be the best person to ask”

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?” Jack asked, surprised

“That’s all”

“I’ll take care of it” Jack promised

* * *

“You’re all free to go” Doug said to everyone in the cell, opening the door

“Except you” he said to Matt Caulfield, pushing him gently back into the cell “You’re going to spend the night”

As the five of them exited the station, they all stared at one another, awkwardly, except Kate, who wondered what was going on.

* * *

Pacey returned to the campsite to see Dawson and Will had just finished packing up and were chatting.

 _Never Saw Blue Like That_ plays again

“Hey guys”

“Hey Pace, where did you go?” Will asked

“I went for a walk. I needed to clear my head and get something off my chest”

He got the something off his chest

“You know, we’ve been friends for so long. I thought we’d been through everything. I even remember us having this conversation once before after a biology assignment a year or two ago. I didn’t quite know how to respond then, but I do now. Pacey, I didn’t think there was anything you could do to damage our friendship. I didn’t think anything could drive a wedge between us. I was wrong. Because Pacey, you just crossed a line, the one and only line, and now, our friendship is over.”

“Dawson, you don’t mean that” Will said

“Don’t tell me what I mean and don’t mean!” Dawson said angrily, tossing down his sleeping bag and storming off.

Pacey woke up to feel the sun beating down on his face. Will was awake but Dawson was fast asleep.

“Hey Will, I need to tell you something” Pacey said “But not here, let’s go for a walk”

* * *

Back at School on Monday, Pacey approached Jen.

“So, I chickened out” he told her

“You know, this isn’t going to get any easier” Jen said “In fact, the longer you leave it, the hard it’s going to get”

“I know, I know” Pacey acknowledged “But I did manage to tell Will. He said the same thing. He also told me a secret”

“Oh...” Jen was intrigued

“Yeah, and maybe if you’re lucky, he’ll tell it to you one day”

“By the way, how was the party” Pacey then asked

“Funny you should ask...” Jen began


	7. Episode 7 - Unity (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey relates to Daria the events surrounding the destruction of her mural.

“Daria, phone call. It’s your friend Josie” Daria’s mother Helen called out to her daughter

“Hey Joey” Daria said “What’s happening”

“Hey Daria. I need to talk to you about something. I’ve had a crazy few days and I just need to get everything off my chest” Joey said

“Okay. Go ahead. Start at the beginning I guess”

* * *

I was walking to school with Dawson, when Nikki walked up

“You dropped film class?!?” she said in an accusative tone

“I’ll let you guys hash things out. Talk to you later, Dawson”

“Wait, Dawson dropped film class?” Daria interrupted

“Yes, but that’s not the point of the story. May I continue?”

“Go ahead”

So, then I saw Andie and mentioned that I needed to talk to her about something, but before I could, Principal Greene asked to see me in his office. Along the way, Matt Caulfield crept up behind me and whispered “I haven’t forgotten” into my ear. I then turned around to see him skulking away. I don’t think Principal Greene saw or heard him. But as I looked back, I saw Pacey and Andie and they clearly saw what had happened.

“So what did Principal Greene want?” Daria asked

“He wanted me to paint a school mural. Hey Daria, have you or Jane ever done anything like that before?”

“Actually, yes. Jane and I were once asked to contribute to a school art fair. Jane painted a portrait of a girl looking in a mirror. I wrote a caption”

“What did it say?”

“She knows she’s a winner. She couldn’t be thinner. She goes to the bathroom to vomit up dinner”

“Edgy. I bet that went down well.”

“Oh yeah. So well I nearly got suspended, but you were saying...”

So I was, but I missed a big part of the story. I visited Dawson that morning before school. He was taking down his Spielberg posters and saying he needed time to reassess things. I called him a sell out. We both yelled at each other for a bit and then we made up.

But that’s not really what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to paint something that symbolized unity. Pacey gave me some words of inspiration.

“How schmaltzy”

“Hey, we can’t all be crude and edgy. Now, may I continue” Joey asked sternly

“I’m listening...”

Anyway, the next day, I was giving a speech and I unveiled it, and, disaster…

“What happened?” Daria was now hanging on Joey’s every word

Someone had vandalized the painting. Dawson tried to comfort me and told me not to take it personally. Pacey, on the other hand, was a bit more aggressive. He likened High School to a caste system and said that I should take it personally as it was likely an attack on me.

Jack and Andie came over to pay me a visit and try to cheer me up. It worked, and I totally forgot what it was that I was going to talk to Andie about that morning and I think she did too.

Meanwhile, Pacey did some investigating and quickly discovered Matt Caulfield was the culprit

“Wait, who’s Matt Caulfield?”

"Arrogant Jock who doesn’t like me because I once turned down a jello shot. The guy who whispered 'I haven't forgotten' in my ear earlier in the story"

“So basically, Capeside’s answer to Tommy Sherman”

I guess. Anyway, Pacey confronted him in the parking lot and things got physical. Principal Greene arrived on the scene and had to physically separate them. He then dragged them both into his office kicking and screaming, but neither would say what the fight was about, so they were both suspended until one of them gave some answers.

"So, what did you say to make Pacey come to his senses?"  
"We'll get there, be patient"

Pacey had just moved in with his brother because of family drama. Basically, one of his older sisters had split up with her husband and had moved back in along with her kids. So Pacey is now stuck with his reluctant big brother. Fortunately, he has been persuaded by Jack to knock off the homophobic jokes and snide remarks.

“Well, thank goodness for that” Daria said, completely genuinely

Anyway, I visited Pacey at his brother’s house and told him he was being stupid and he had to come forward. He wouldn’t budge, so I left angrily. I saw Andie arriving as I left. I said “tag, you’re it” as we passed. Apparently, she got through to him, because the next day, he and Matt Caulfield returned to school to be questioned again. This time Pacey admitted what was going on. He got three days suspension. Matt Caulfield got expelled. And then everything went to hell.

“As though it wasn’t already?” Daria remarked. Daria had realized something Joey hadn’t, but decided keep the information to herself.

“Did I mention Principal Greene is black?” Joey added

“Ah, now its all starting to come into focus. I think I can see where this is going”

The PTA meeting was like a hurricane. There were accusations, threats, thinly veiled racists comments. I tried to stand up for Principal Greene, but then people started attacking my family and Dawson and Pacey had to calm me down. Did I mention Dawson’s mom was there and doing a story about it?

“I thought she was in Philadelphia?”

“She was, she came back to cover the story”

Anyway, the Superintendent of the School board basically said if Principal Greene didn’t reduce Matt Caulfield’s sentence, he’d be fired. Dawson’s mom summed it up by saying: “There you have it. A vandalized mural, A principal under fire and an ultimatum.”

“What happened next?”

“Actually, that just about brings us up to the present.”

“And you want to know what to do next?”

“I know, you’re not much on advice...” Joey started

Actually, it reminds me of something that happened to me a few months ago. We started getting more and more soda machines at school. I seemed to be the only one that had a problem with it. People said ‘if _you_ care so much, why don’t _you_ complain Daria’. So I went to the superintendent. Luckily my pleas were heard and the contract was scaled back, but not cancelled.

“Daria Morgendorffer, Activist” Joey said jokingly

“Don’t get used to it. It was a one time only deal” Daria assured her.

“So, what was the point of that little anecdote?”

“That you should draw a line in the sand, if you care so much. Save your Principal. Become an activist, Jo”

“Thanks Daria. I think I needed that”

“Let me know how it turns out”

Joey hung up and then there was a knock at the door.


	8. Episode 8 - Disunity (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey relates to Daria her attempts to save Principal Green (and her short lived career as an activist)

“So how did it go?” Daria asked

“Well...” Joey started

Right after you hung up, there was a knock at the door. It was Christine and Laura, my college mentors I had met a couple of months ago. I sent them an email asking their advice, and the next thing I knew, they were knocking on my front door.

“How far is it between Boston and Capeside?” Daria asked

“Just over an hour, anyway...”

They were pretty excited and we hugged and it was all really uplifting. But then we got down to business. Once I was done explaining it to them, there was another knock at the door. It was Dawson. He wanted me to come down to Leery’s Fresh Fish and bring my new friends.

“Sounds ominous”

“Actually, it was good news”

Pacey, Andie, Jen, Will and Jack were there waiting for me. They said that we couldn’t let Greene get railroaded and it was up to us, to me, to do something about it. They wanted me to direct them.

“So, did you?”

Eventually. I got Jack, who has design skills, to create a flyers, posters, etc. I sent Pacey to have them printed at a local copy shop. He managed to get them done for free (I still don’t know how). I asked Dawson to document everything for posterity. I asked Andie to draw up a petition and start collecting signatures. I asked Jen to use her role as head cheerleader to get the cheerleaders on board. I asked Will to start making phone calls. I asked Christine and Laura if I was missing anything and they said no and they were really impressed with me.

“What happened next?” Daria was once again hanging of Joey’s every word

At school next day, there were dueling protests, for and against Greene (our side had the cheerleaders, theirs had mostly angry parents). Doug had to separate them. I asked our side to disperse and move to the superintendent's office. This was pretty lucky given that the superintendent asked to see me.

“How did that go?” Daria asked

Well, he was pretty annoyed, but he wasn’t backing down. So, I bluffed. I told him this was just the beginning. There would be a public meeting on Thursday night (the deadline was Friday) and if he was so sure of his position, he should come and explain himself to them. He was unimpressed, but said he’d think about it.

On the way out, I saw Dawson and his mom. They grilled him, but he didn’t budge.

But there was a problem. There was no meeting. So we had two days to pull out all the stops. When I got home, it was basically a command center. It was full, and I mean full, of people, all committed to our cause. Everyone was doing their bit. It was all really moving. But Bessie wasn’t feeling it. Possibly because she’d just received a threatening phone call.

“That’ll do it” Daria observed

So Bodie reminded her (and me) that this would probably be a non-issue if Principal Greene were white. That seemed to shut her up.

“Good ol’ Bodie” Daria interjected

“So, the meeting...”

“How did it go?” Daria asked

Before that, I should mention that Dawson and his mom interviewed a reluctant Greene and his daughter then persuaded him to show up to the meeting being held to defend him. Up until now, he’d been quiet.

“Understandable. I imagine he was feeling pretty annoyed at the whole situation” Daria observed

“Anyway, the meeting...”

The assembly hall was packed. I mean packed. And they were all there to listen to me. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. Before I hit the stage, I finally got around to telling Andie something I’d been meaning to tell her for a while. If she didn’t tell Pacey her secret, I would. Jen overheard the whole thing.

“I don’t care about that part” Daria interjected

“I didn’t think you would. But I’m just setting the scene”

So I gave the best speech I could. I tried to be uplifting, but realistic. Then I opened up the floor and discovered something surprising. Everyone there had a story or a reason for looking up to and appreciating Principal Greene. His daughter Nikki even said a few words. It was actually really moving. Then the superintendent showed up. He put his case and it went down about as well as could be expected

“I take it this was now your sides turn to take up the pitchforks” Daria was joking, but also somewhat serious

Basically. It was Laura that started it. She’s normally so sedate. But once the superintendent's speech was over, and asked if anyone had any questions, she jumped up and yelled “this is bullshit!” at the top of her lungs. Everyone pretty much followed suit. I didn’t like him, but I didn’t want to see him get hurt, so I was about to rush the superintendent off the stage, when a hushed silence fell over the room.

“What happened?” Daria asked

It was Principal Greene. He walked up to the lectern. He said that he wasn’t backing down and neither was the superintendent, but that didn’t mean that what we were doing wasn’t worthwhile. He added that he was proud of all of us.

“Well, that’s depressing” Daria remarked

“Why?” Joey was slightly annoyed

“Because you lost” Daria said matter-of-factly

“I’m not finished yet”

At the end of the following school day, Principal Green exited his office and we all lined the halls and gave him a rousing send off. Him and Nikki.

“So, you lost” Daria said

“Yes, we lost. But we gave it our best shot. And I know he appreciates our efforts”

“Do you know what happened to the two of them?” Daria asked

“I think Dawson is still in touch with Nikki. They still bounce ideas of each other”

“Well, that’s something. That was a heck of a tale Joey. You should write it all down sometime. You know, just to get it all out there”

“It’s funny you should say that, because Dawson and his mother documented the whole thing for the news. They got a lot of footage. But the station fired her over it”

“Why?” Daria asked

“Apparently, they thought the story was biased” Joey explained

“But does that mean that they destroyed the footage?”

“No, I think the footage still exists. Why?”

“I mean, if someone could edit it together, they could make a, what’s the word…?”

“Documentary?”

“I was going to say movie. Do you know anyone who might be interested in making one of those?” Daria asked

Joey smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Formatting this chapter was difficult due to the lack of indentation function. If the text doesn't quite line up, its because I was doing it manually.


	9. Episode 9 - The Hippie Aunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawson, Joey, Pacey and Andie visit Dawson's Aunt Gwen and things come to a head.  
> Meanwhile, Jen, Jack and Will handle things much more maturely.

Joey was seeing off Christine and Laura, outside her home.

“I’m sorry things didn’t turn out better” Laura said

“We did the best we could” Joey admitted “I’m sure that Principal Green will land on his feet. Nikki too”

“You were amazing, Joey” Christine added “And I’m sure everyone appreciates your efforts”

The three of them hugged and then Christine and Laura finally got into the taxi. They waved goodbye and wondered if they’d see each other again.

Just then Bessie emerged from the house.

“Phone call, it’s Dawson” she said

* * *

Dawson arrived home to see both his parents. This was unusual enough, but they were making out on the coffee table. It was a scene he’d unfortunately seen many times already. But that was before they separated.

“Dawson” Mitch said “Your mother and I need to have a talk with you”

“If this is about the birds and the bees, I already know and you’re the last people I want to hear it from” Dawson replied

“Actually, its about us” Gail said “I lost my job and so, I’m moving back in for a while”

“A while?” Mitch wondered aloud

“Why don’t you guys explain it to me when you get your stories straight?” Dawson was feeling increasingly awkward, and turned to leave

“Wait, there’s actually something else we need to discuss, honey” Gail interjected

* * *

Pacey and Andie were approaching Dawson’s house.

“So what’s going on?” Andie inquired

“Dawson’s Aunt Gwen. We’re going to spend spring break at her place” Pacey replied, carrying enough luggage for both of them (Andie was carrying none)

“What about Jack and Jen?” It was Joey that had asked, having snuck up behind them (at least that’s what it felt like to Andie)

“They have other plans” Dawson said, emerging from the house

“Will too” Pacey added

“And those are…?” Asked Joey

“I’ll be working at Leery's Fresh Fish" Jen said, emerging from her own house. "I can’t speak for Jack and Will though. Have fun guys”

They drove off as Jen waved them goodbye.

She then went into the Leery house to chat to Mitch and Gail about her new job.

* * *

Along the way Andie asked “What’s she like, your Aunt Gwen?”

“She’s a very talented artist, she does yoga and... she lives life on her own terms” Joey replied

“Is she married?” Andie followed up

“She was once, to this uptight lawyer. She had this picture-perfect suburban life" Dawson explained "and then she met Richard, who was this crazy, bearded painter about 20 years older than her. She left her husband for him and never looked back.”

“We gonna get to meet this wife-stealing Picasso?” Pacey asked

“Unfortunately, their happily-ever-after only lasted a couple years. Richard died about a year ago of a heart attack.” Dawson said

“Wow, that’s sad” Andie replied

“I don't know. Isn't it better to have a short time with somebody you really love than a lifetime with somebody who's basically your roommate? Just a thought.” Pacey suggested

* * *

“Have you ever worked as a waitress before?” Gail asked

“No, but I’ve seen Joey do it. How hard can it be?” Jen replied

“The main thing is to get the orders right. And be polite to the customers, no matter how much they annoy you” Gail explained

“Got it” Jen said, while wondering to herself if she hadn’t chosen the wrong line of work ( _what would Daria do?_ she thought)

* * *

Dawson knocked on the door, but there was no answer. There was however very loud music coming from inside and the door was unlocked, so Dawson ventured inside.

Inside, Aunt Gwen was somehow painting and dancing to the music at the same time. Dawson tapped her on the shoulder.

“Come on in. Hello. Hello. Oh, Dawson, Baby, you made it!” Aunt Gwen said in an excited tone.

Turning her attention to the others “Hi! Mmm! Joey. How gorgeous did you turn out, Wow! And this must be Pacey.”

“I see my reputation precedes me” Pacey replied confidently

“Actually, we’ve met before” Aunt Gwen explained

“We have?”

“Yeah. I wouldn't expect you to remember it. It was years ago at my sister's 4th of July picnic, and you were chasing this one around and teasing her mercilessly. And when i went to intervene, you said to me, ‘hey lady, step on my buzz, why don't ya?’”

“Ha, That sounds about right”

“Which would make you… Andie?”

“Yup, nice to meet you Aunt Gwen”

* * *

Will showed up to Leery’s Fresh Fish to pick up Jen

“Hey Will. You’re early, my shift doesn’t end for another half hour” Jen said, kissing him

“Oh that’s alright honey, we’re not that busy” Gail insisted

“Are you sure?”

“You seem to have gotten the hang of things” Gail reassured her

“I guess so” Jen replied “See you tomorrow, Mrs Leery”

“Remember when we were that age?” Mitch asked, approaching Gail

“They have no idea what they’re in for, do they?”

“Well, hopefully they do better than we did”

* * *

“You should talk to Andie” Joey said to Pacey, the two of them were the last ones awake and Dawson and Andie were asleep in the next room.

“About what?” Pacey was equal parts annoyed and curious at Joey’s cryptic tone

“I just think the two of you should, you know, clear the air tomorrow”

“You don’t want to give me a hint?”

“Just talk to her” Joey was quite firm this time

Upon entering the room, they saw that Andie and Dawson were sharing the double bed, leaving the floor to the two of them. Aunt Gwen hadn’t thought too hard about sleeping arrangements. They’d need to talk to her about it tomorrow

* * *

The following day, Pacey and Andie went out to a local bar to play pool. Without any prior planning or intention, they managed to hustle some locals out of quite a bit of money. Quite an achievement and a testament to how well they could communicate without saying a word. However, Pacey didn’t forget Joey’s words and decided he would talk about it with Andie later tonight. This wasn’t the right moment.

* * *

Dawson, Joey and Aunt Gwen were at a local store, shopping

“What are you lookin' for?” Aunt Gwen asked

“Something for my wall.” Dawson explained

“Ah, which, as I recall correctly, is plastered in wall-to-wall movie posters. You know, somehow I don't think this is gonna go with that whole film geek aesthetic you've got goin' on.”

“The posters are gone, actually. I took 'em all down.”

“ _Amistad_ wasn't that bad, honey”

“Actually, I’ve been having crisis of faith” Dawson laughed awkwardly

“What do you mean?”

“Well...I guess I got tired of having this larger-than-life-dream to compensate for my smaller-than-life life.”

“Ok. So... The movie posters are down. Film has lost its luster. And I am detecting a significant lack of...Smooching, hand-holding, general all-around cuddliness between the two of you? So...Come on. Tell me everything”

“Well, to make a long soap opera short, um, we got together…” Dawson began

“Which was so completely overwhelming that it forced me to retreat into this long, protracted period of soul searching.” Joey continued

“Which sent me into a dizzying downward spiral of depression. And then I finally managed to get her back, but...”

“It was exceptionally bad timing. He discovered my dad was dealing drugs again, so I got angry and broke up with him. Then he interned with his mom in Phillie. And then he got back from summer vacation.”

“The possibility of having my heart ripped out of my chest once again didn't sound as appealing as it once had, so I decided maybe it would be best just to be friends”

“Well, you’ve obviously skipped over a few things, but I have just one question. Why aren't the two of you together now?” Aunt Gwen asked

Neither of them had an answer

* * *

“Okay Will, why are we sitting out the front of my house instead of on a date?” Jen asked

“I haven’t exactly told you why I’m in Capeside, have I?” Will said

“I guess not” Jen said, after thinking about it for a moment

“It’s my dad, He's a jerk. He works at the factory. So, he's a total townie. Treats my mother like crap. Can't wait to get the hell away from him. I came to Capeside, because I just couldn't take it anymore. Had to get out of the house.”

“Okay” Jen said, taking it all in

“But I might be going back. I’ve applied to Rawley Academy. It’s a prestigious prep school. I should be able to get a scholarship. I’m hoping to start there next year” Will added

“This was your big secret?” Jen asked, doing her best to absorb all the information

“Well, one of them”

“And the other…?”

“Actually, we’re going to need Jack for that”

“Jack, what does he have to do with anything?”

“Do you want to go inside and get him, or should I?”

“I’ll do it” Jen said, somewhat concerned about where this was going

* * *

That evening at Karaoke (Aunt Gwen insisted) they all sang _Louis, Louis_ together.

Andie sang _Ooh Child_ by the Five Stairsteps

Pacey sang _Wild Thing_

Dawson and Joey (reluctantly) sang _Daydream Believer_ (at Aunt Gwen's insistence)

During the performance, Andie saw a look on Pacey’s face. She didn’t quite understand it, but she knew she didn’t like it.

“I’m going outside to get some fresh air” Pacey said, and then did just that

Andie went after him. Joey had an idea of what was about to happen. The others didn’t.

* * *

“We’re really doing this?” Jack asked incredulously

“We really are” Will insisted

“Doing what? I don’t understand” Jen was starting to worry

“Jack and I have been, I don’t even know how to put this into words” Will tried to explain

“Seeing each other behind my back” Jen offered

“No. Absolutely not” Jack insisted “We almost kissed once, but that’s it. I swear” Jack insisted

“But you wanted to do more?” Jen was starting to understand

There was an awkward moment of silence

“Are you into guys?” Jen asked Will, and cringed inwardly at her choice of words

“No, Yes, I don’t know. That’s not the point. I mean, I suppose I’m attracted to people, rather than their gender” Will said, very unsure of himself

“And you’re attracted to Jack?” Jen asked

“I suppose, but I know how close you two are, so I just wanted to be honest with you, before things got, um, out of hand”

“Why couldn’t you two just sneak around behind my back, like normal people?” Jen asked, more annoyed than hurt

“You know why not” Jack insisted, finally realizing this was the right thing

“I don’t want to screw things up for the two of you” Will insisted

“Its a bit late for that now” Jen said, beginning to calm down “But…

I appreciate your honesty, both of you. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone to think about this”

Jack went back inside the house and Will went into the Leery house, where he had been staying.

As Jack went back inside, he saw that Grams had been listening

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I’m sure the two of you will work this thing out” Grams assured her.

Jack didn’t say anything, but his face showed this made him feel better.

* * *

Pacey was standing out the front of the house, when Andie came up behind him

“What’s going on with you?” She asked

“What’s going on with you?” he fired back

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since you got back, you’ve been different”

“Of course, I went through a very big, life altering experience”

“And...”

“And what?”

“What are you not telling me?”

“What makes you think I’m...”

“Because Joey said...” he trailed off

“Okay, I guess this had to come out sooner or later. Better that you hear it from me”

“Hear what”

“Promise you won’t overreact?”

“Andie, just tell me what it is” he was becoming annoyed and impatient

“When I was at the mental hospital, I slept with someone, another patient. But it meant nothing. He meant nothing. I love you, Pacey. I just, really need you to tell me that it’s alright and that you still love me”

Billie Myer’s song _Kiss The Rain_ begins to play

“Say something, Pacey”

Go away, Andie. I don’t want to talk to you right now” he said angrily, barely concealing his feelings

Andie turned and went back inside, seeing that Joey had been standing behind them

“I’ll talk to him” Joey whispered to Andie as she passed her

“She still loves you Pacey” Joey insisted

“You know, maybe its good that the cats out of the bag. Maybe now I can get a secret off my chest. One I’ve been holding inside for months now”

He stepped closer to her.

“I really need to…

tell you…

somgthing...”

The two of them moved closer and were about to kiss.

But then Joey put the brakes on.

“I knew” she said softly

“You knew?” Pacey replied angrily “Of course you did. For how long?”

“She told me when I visited her, just before her release”

“So, you’ve known this whole time and you didn’t say anything?”

“It wasn’t my place to tell you” Joey insisted

Pacey was shocked and hurt. He didn’t know what do to.

“Just, go” Pacey finally said

Aunt Gwen was standing behind them

“So, about the sleeping arrangements...” She said, awkwardly

* * *

After Pacey calmed down, he decided to talk things out with Andie

“I’m sorry I overreacted” he said, climbing into bed with her

“And I’m sorry too” she admitted “I should have told you sooner”

“And…?”

“And I shouldn’t have cheated on you” her tone was very apologetic

“I think I can forgive you, in time” Pacey said, and the two of them went to sleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

Dawson was in bed and half asleep, when Joey climbed into bed with him

“So I guess you got the short straw?” Dawson said jokingly, not entirely sure who it was he was now sharing a bed with

“I’ve been stupid and I never should have, you know, that whole thing with my dad. It totally wasn’t your fault...” Joey was rambling

“Jo, is there any chance we could do this tomorrow?” he asked “I am way too tired for...”

And then she kissed him.

Mary Beth Maziarz’ version of _Daydream Believer_ plays

* * *

Both couples shared a bed that night (neither had sex).

Upon waking up the next day, Joey chastised herself for acting rashly and emotionally.

 _Damn! what have I done_ , she thought to herself

Pacey however was beginning to realize he was in over his head.

 _What am I going to do now_ , he thought to himself

Both Pacey and Joey regretted their actions, but where did they go from there? It was a question neither could answer.


	10. Episode 10 - Boat Measuring Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawson and Pacey enter a boat race, act like children, and risk more than their pride.

Dawson awakened to discover Joey was not beside him. She had been there when he had gone to sleep, so she must have left during the night. No big deal, Dawson was sure she had a good reason. So, he went to look for her, to discover what it might be.

His first stop was his parent’s restaurant, _Leery’s Fresh Fish_. Before he had a chance to ask if they’d seen Joey. Instead, they gave him an errand.

“Honey, could you take this down to the docks and give it to Pacey?”

“Sure mom, what is it?” he asked tentatively

“Its a banner. we’re sponsoring Pacey in the Capeside Regatta” Dawson’s dad informed him

“Really? This is the first I’m hearing of it” Dawson observed

“I’m surprised Pacey hasn’t mentioned it to you at some point” Mitch offered

“I guess I’ve been out of the loop on this one” Dawson observed (ominously) and then left for the docks

* * *

Pacey and Joey were making out in the cabin of Pacey’s boat, the _True Love_

“This is wrong” Pacey said between kisses

“So very wrong” Joey added

“We should stop...”

Before we get caught”

They exited the cabin and went in for one last kiss, only to discover someone standing over them with their arms crossed and a disproving look.

The person who had caught them was Jen (fortunately)

“What do you two think you’re doing?” She said in an accusative tone “What if I was Dawson or Andie?”

“Well, that’s not going to be an issue, because this is the last time this will ever happen” Joey said firmly

“It was just a slip up, but it won’t happen again” Pacey reassured her, but Jen wasn’t so sure

“What won’t happen again?”

It was Dawson who had spoken. He could tell there was something up, but didn’t know what it was.

“The hull sprung a leak, because I repaired the last leak with the wrong materials. Won’t make that mistake again.” Pacey said thinking quickly “What brings you here?” he added, changing the subject

“My parents wanted me to give this to you” Dawson said, handing him the banner “You never told me you were competing in the Regatta” he added, without a hint of the resentment he was feeling

“I guess it must have slipped my mind” Pacey said, innocently

“That seems to be happening a lot lately. Good luck” Dawson said, and left, leaving Pacey, Joey and Jen feeling rather awkward.

* * *

Dawson returned to _Leery’s Fresh Fish_ , contemplating what he had just seen.

“Mission accomplished” he told his parents, and then spun around to see Jack and Andie sitting at a table. He decided to sit with them, and explained what he had just witnessed.

“Something’s definitely going on with them. I just don’t know what” he explained

“I don’t think all this speculation is healthy” Jack suggested

“Um, actually, Pacey has been acting weird ever since our visit to your Aunt’s. Joey too, I think” Andie interjected

“Think about what you’re saying though.” Jack said “Are you actually saying Pacey and Joey are...” Jack decided not to finish the sentence, instead just letting the words dangle in the air, uncomfortably

“Okay, new topic. I want to enter the Regatta. I’m sure I can get Bessie to sponsor me. I’m sure your dad has a boat in storage at the Capeside Yacht Club?” Dawson asked

“Yeah, and I think that’s a great idea” Andie said in an encouraging tone

“I’m not so sure” Jack said, trying to put the brakes on the idea, but added “I’ll think about it”

“Dawson, you’ve sailed before, right?” Andie asked

“Yeah, with my Dad. I’m sure he’ll give me some pointers” Dawson said, glancing in his father’s direction

“And I’ll talk to Bessie” Andie added. At that point, Jack got up to leave.

“Now, if the two of you will excuse me, I have a date”

“ooh la la, Who’s the lucky guy?” Andie asked, excitedly

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you” Jack said, almost incredulously

* * *

Earlier that day

Jack and Jen left the house to discover Will waiting for them out the front.

“I have a radical suggestion” he said. Jack and Jen were intrigued “I think the three of us should go out for dinner, together”

“This isn’t some kind of scheme to have a menage a trois with the two of us?” Jen asked suspiciously

“Not at all. I just want to have dinner with the two of you” Will insisted

“Just dinner? Alright, I’m in” Jack said

“Okay, I guess I’m in too” Jen said, halfheartedly

They agreed on the details and parted ways.

Grams overheard the whole thing and was more than a little confused

* * *

That evening, they had dinner at _Entre Nous_ , Capeside’s best French Restaurant. It also happened to be Capeside's only French restaurant (as seen in the season 2 episode ‘ _Reunited_ ’).

The dinner and the conversation had been going well and Will had been working his way up to telling the two of them something important. However, before he got the chance, Jack started talking about what happened earlier that day.

“So, Dawson thinks there’s something going on between Joey and Pacey. And now Andie’s thinking it too. But they’re just being paranoid, don’t you think?”

There was an uncomfortable silence for what seemed like forever. Just like Dawson did earlier in the day, Jack could now tell there was something going on, without knowing what.

“What makes you think that?” Jen asked nervously

Another few seconds of silence

“Whatever is going on between Pacey and Joey, or isn’t, is their business and no one else’s” Will insisted

“That’s bull!” Jack said angrily “If you believed that, we wouldn't be sitting here having this dinner now.”

Jack stood up and dropped some cash on the table, to cover his share of the meal.

“If something is going on, Dawson and Andie have a right to know” and he stormed off.

He then went straight to Dawson’s house, climbed up the stairs, knocked on his bedroom door and when Dawson answered, he simply said “I’m in”.

Dawson was in the middle of watching a movie and Jack calmed down and decided to stay and watch it with him.

* * *

As it turned out, Bessie had no problem with sponsoring Dawson in the regatta (much to Joey’s chagrin). Dawson was able to borrow Mr McPhee’s boat, the _Carpe Diem_ , on the condition that Jack entered with him, which he did. Meanwhile Will had agreed to enter with Pacey. Finally, Mitch agreed to give Dawson a refresher course in sailing. However, he wasn’t able to explain everything and some of the things he left out proved to be vital.

* * *

As the _True Love_ and the _Carpe Diem_ rounded the final turn, they were neck and neck. While the _True Love_ had right of way, the _Carpe Diem_ failed to yield, and was thus disqualified. However, Dawson didn’t realise this until after the race was over and was prematurely celebrating on the dock.

“You were supposed to give way. I guess that didn’t come up in your lessons with your Dad” Joey yelled angrily to Dawson.

Pacey then joined them on the dock and Dawson decided this was the perfect time to clear the air, but not before Pacey also decided to chew him out.

“What the hell’s wrong with you man?? Are you trying to get both of us killed??”

“Is there something going on between the two of you?” Dawson asked

He then realized that Andie was standing at the other end of the dock. She would not have been able to hear, if they weren’t all yelling.

Pacey shot back an incredulous look, but said nothing.

“No, Dawson, nothing is going on between me and Pacey." Joey declared, angrily "Nor is anything going on between you and me. And if you’re not careful, there won’t be anything going on between the three of us” Joey drew a triangle between the three of them with her index finger. Her meaning was quite clear to the three of them. She then turned around and stormed off, walking past Andie at the end of the dock, who had silently observed the whole thing.

“Joey...” they both yelled and went to go after her, only to discover a hand grabbing each of them by their arms. The hands belonged to Will, who along with Jack had now joined them on the dock.

“You should probably talk to your **actual** girlfriend, while you still have one” Will said to Pacey, which he did, leaving himself, Dawson and Jack on the dock.

“And you.." he said, turning to Dawson "...should think very carefully about what you do next, before you trash your two oldest and most important friendships, because I might not be here next time you get the urge to do something stupid”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked “Are you going somewhere?”

“Maybe. I’ve applied for a scholarship to Rawley Academy. It’s a prestigious boarding school and it might be my ticket out of that hellhole of a town”

“Good luck” Dawson said sincerely, having calmed down

“You stormed off before I had the chance to tell you at dinner” Will added, looking at Jack

* * *

Joey went one way and Pacey and Andie went the other

“Listen Andie, I know I’ve been….” Pacey said, struggling to think of the right thing to say

“Weird, distant, suspicious” Andie suggested

“Yeah, all of those and I’m sorry. But I should probably tell you something”

“Oh...” Andie said, expecting something quite different from what she was about to hear

“You see, I’m planing on taking the _True Love_ around the Bahamas this summer, getting odd jobs where I can, you know, and...”

“And…?”

“And I want you to know that I’m really going to miss you”

Andie was now really shocked

“I-I’ll miss you too Pace”

Now Andie was really freaked out and suspicious, but her exterior betrayed none of her feelings.

“But before that, we have a prom coming up" Pacey said "and I would love for you to accompany me”

“Of course” Andie said, and the two embraced, thus postponing dealing with this situation


	11. Episode 11 - The Prom theme is hetero-sexuality AKA We'll make our own prom with blackjack and hookers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom Homophobia leads the gang to hold their own prom, but it ends up being controversial for other reasons.

“Go with him” Jen insisted “I want you to go with him”

“You’re not going to feel left out?” Will asked

“I’ll go stag, but the two of you will be there beside me the whole time. I’ll be okay” Jen reassured them

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jack asked.

The look on Jen’s face was all the answer she was going to get.

But then Jen was faced with the look on Belinda McGovern’s face, as she sat behind the ticket desk. There had recently been a coup in Cheer land and Jen had been deposed and replaced by Belinda. There was a smirk all over Belinda’s face as she saw Jen flanked by the two young men.

“The theme of this year’s prom is couples. Please state your name as well as the name of your date” Belinda asked with a hint of sarcasm

“Jen Lindley, no date”

“No, no, no. The theme of this year’s prom is couples. No date, no ticket. Next”

Jen then gestured for Will and Jack to continue

““The theme of this year’s prom is couples. Please state your name as well as the name of your date”

“Jack McPhee, Will Krudski” Jack said, nervously

“Excuse me?”

“Will Krudski” Will repeated

“No, no, no. A boy cannot go to the prom with a boy. The definition of a prom date is a boy and a girl.” Belinda said with mild annoyance

“Well, I don't think that's any of your business.” Will said, who was also getting annoyed

“To be honest, I don't understand why you feel the need to cause a spectacle and ruin the prom for the rest of us”

“You're not gonna sell us tickets?” Jack shot back

“What exactly is it the two of you will do, anyway? Take a nice prom photo for grandma's photo album? Dance stubbled cheek to stubbled cheek? Share a romantic kiss under the moonlight? You don't think that's gonna weird out even the ones who are sympathetic to people like you?”

“You can't do this!” Will said

“Next!”

* * *

Dawson and Joey were walking to school.

“Joey, I’m so sorry about the whole Regatta thing. I was so...” Dawson began

“Paranoid, jealous, juvenile?” Joey replied, cheekily

“I get the idea”

“Well, you’re forgiven. But now where do we go from here?”

“Well, there is a certain event on the horizon, and I seem to recall a pact made by pair of freshmen about said event”

“Junior prom. We both agreed to go if we didn’t have dates”

“So you remember”

“Are you trying to ask me something?”

“I don’t want to go with some random person and have it mean nothing. I want to go with my oldest friend”

“Or we could both agree that its meaningless and not go”

“But it does mean something. There’s a million reasons why proms are stupid and ridiculous, but we make the pact because it meant something to us. It’s a rite of passage and I can’t think of any way for us to move forward than to fulfill a pact between two friends to have a good time”

“Well, okay. But...” Joey stopped mid sentence when she saw Jen, Will and Jack sitting out the front of the school. Jen and Will looked annoyed and Jacks head was in his hands, thus hiding the look of awkwardness in his eyes.

They were soon joined by Pacey and Andie who had just exited the building, having purchased their prom tickets. Jen explained what had just happened when the three of them tried to buy prom tickets.

After a few moments, Andie spoke up

“Well, if you’re not going, neither are Pacey and I”

“Of course not. We’ll boycott together” Pacey said, now staring at Joey.

Andie pulled out her and Pacey's tickets and began ripping them up.

“Yeah, me and Dawson too” Joey assured them.

Then Dawson had a light-bulb moment

“I've got a better idea. Let's hold our own prom. An alternative prom. Think about it. Why are we paying 80 bucks a pop to sit where they tell us to sit, eat rubbery chicken, and listen to a special selection of Belinda McGovern’s favorite tunes when we can hold the anti-prom? Where it's not about who you bring, but who you are.”

“Great Idea, Dawson” Andie said, throwing the remnants of her tickets in the bin. The others nodded in agreement

“And what would an alternative Prom be without a gay couple?” Jack asked rhetorically. Will nodded in agreement

* * *

Dawson pitched the idea of hosting the event at Leery’s Fresh Fish to his parents.

“You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought” Mitch said, noncommittally

“Should we say yes now, or continue to torture him?” Gail joked

“Thanks, you won’t regret this” Dawson said excitedly

“But every prom needs a chaperon” Mitch interjected

“Great, I’m gonna go print some flyers” Dawson said, kissed his mom and raced off, exuberantly

* * *

Jack and Will were wearing the Tuxedos Grams had given them

“And to think I was going to give these to goodwill” Grams said, looking over the two of them

“I feel like a busboy” Will complained

“Are you going to try on Grams’ Dress?” Jack asked

“I think I’ll surprise you” Jen said, hiding her awkwardness

“Speaking of surprises, Dawson had organized transportation for the five of us. He figured, living next door, it would just be easier...” Will began

“Makes sense” Jack replied

“I guess” Jen said, halfheartedly

* * *

Earlier that day…

Joey was in Jen’s room

“I’m starting to think this whole thing might be a mistake” Joey explained

“The anti-prom thing?” Jen asked

“No, going with Dawson. I’m just not sure...” Joey trailed off

“Why?” Jen asked

“I’m just trying to restore the old status quo, but I’m wondering...”

“About Pacey?” Jen offered

“Shhh, but yeah, I’m wondering if maybe...” Joey said, lowering her voice

“The two of you could have made it work, given better circumstances?”

“Something like that”

“Look, I’m not the best person to give advice on this kind of thing, given my history and, er...”

“Present situation?” Joey offered

“Yeah, that” Jen admitted

“Yeah, what’s the deal with the three of you?” Joey pried

“We seem to be in some kind of ambiguous, _menage a troi_ ”

“And that’s bad because…?” Joey asked sneakily

“It could all blow up in our faces, and ruin Jacks and my...” Jen searched for the right word

“Situation?” Joey offered

“Alright, lets go with that” Jen accepted

“So, what are you going to do?” Joey asked

“No idea, you?” Jen said flipping the question around

“Dunno, but I’ll tell you what I’m not going to do. I’m not going to do anything with Pacey that could hurt Andie. Or Dawson...” She said, trailing off

* * *

Pacey organized a limo for himself and Andie. Dawson and Joey went with Jen, Will and Jack. Both houses lined up for the standard prom photos. Both limo rides were rather awkward.

 _Fall From Grace_ by Amanda Marshall played as they all danced. All two dozen or so attendees.

Will, Jack and Jen danced together, until Jen said “this is weird”

“Yeah, one of us should probably step away” Jack said

“And I think its me” Will said firmly, stepping back and pushing the two of them together gently

“I never wanted to come between the two of you” Will said, softly

“And so, I’m leaving Capeside”

“Your scholarship?” Jack asked

“It came through!” Jen deduced

“You two have a good time” Will insisted and walked over to get a glass of punch.

Dawson and Andie were dancing together and they both realized they hadn’t seen their dates for a while. They walked over to the Punch table where they saw Will.

“Hey you two. Where are your other halves?” he asked

“Pacey went out for a breath of fresh air, a while ago” Andie said

“Joey went to the bathroom, she’s been gone a while” Dawson said

Will started to worry

“Let’s go look for them together” he suggested, hoping his suspicions were wrong

The song ended and the next song _Giving Up Giving In_ , also by Amanda Marshall started

They first went to the kitchen, where they saw Dawson’s parents making out

“Umm, Dawson, you see honey...” Gail started

“Your mother and I...” Mitch tried to explain

“I don’t have time for this right now. Can we finish this conversation later?” Dawson asked

He walked out before they had a chance to answer. Andie and Will followed him. At this point, Dawson was growing tense and impatient.

They finally found Joey and Pacey dancing together on the Dock at the back of the restaurant. They were unaware that they were being watched and started kissing.

* * *

Joey left the bathroom and decided, instead of going back in, she would go outside for a moment. She saw Pacey on the dock and Pacey saw her.

“We shouldn’t...” Joey began

“We can’t” Pacey began, as they began to dance together slowly. They were close enough to hear the music from inside.

“And yet...” Joey said

“Whenever I’m with Andie, all I can think about is...” Pacey trailed off

“And when I dance with Dawson, I’m wishing...” Joey said, closing her eyes

And then they kissed. When they parted, they realized they were being watched.

It was Andie (who was crying), Will (who looked like he was panicking) and…

“Dawson!” Pacey said

Dawson said nothing. He simply walked over toward the two of them and punched Pacey in his jaw, so hard he fell backwards and landed on the ground.

He then knelt down and punched him a couple more times, until Andie and Will physically dragged him off.

“Andie, Dawson, I’m so...” Joey began. Andie then walked up to Joey and slapped Joey across the face, shaking her head in disapproval.

Will then realized that Jen and Jack were standing behind them.

“Clean him up and take the two of them home. I’ll take care of this one” Will said, directing traffic.

Will and Andie took Dawson home. They managed to get him to bed. They had no idea what would happen when he woke up.

Jack and Jen tended to Pacey wounds (two black eyes, a bruised jaw and a possible broken nose) and took him and Joey back to their place in the other limo.

* * *

Jen took Joey to her room and Jack brought Pacey to his.

Joey had a guilty look on her face.

“I told you before a million times, I’m in no position to judge” Jen said

“He’s never going to speak to me again” Joey said

“Andie will never forgive me. I’ll never be able to look Pacey in the eye again” Joey was wracked with guilt

“I hear its possible to come back from total social ostracism. After all, I did it when I was _sexiled_ to Capeside” Jen offered

Joey smiled at that, momentarily. Then returned to beating herself up.

* * *

“You didn’t fight back” Jack said “Why not?” helping Pacey onto his bed

“I deserved it, all of it, and then some” Pacey replied

“I don’t believe that” Jack said firmly

“You do realise that your sister is probably never going to speak to me again?”

“She’ll get over it. You will too” Jack insisted

Grams then entered the room with a wet towel and wiped down his wounds.

“Are you children going to explain what happened or...?” Grams asked in an accusative tone

“Not right now Grams” Jack rebuffed

* * *

Will and Andie, having taken Dawson home then returned and called the four of them into the living room.

“Joey, take Andie home. I’ll take Pacey” Will demanded

“Don’t you think **I** should take Andie home?” Jack suggested

“No, I think the two of them should go together” Will insisted. They agreed

* * *

Will and Pacey’s conversation mirrored the one Pacey had with Jack. Upon dropping him home, Pacey then had a similar conversation with his brother Doug. To Pacey’s surprise, none of it took Doug by surprise.

“I figured something like this would happen sooner or later. Joey didn’t tell you about the party she went to with your friends, but you, Dawson and Will on your camping trip that weekend” Doug replied

“Not really” Pacey said

“Ask her about it sometime” Doug suggested

“If she and I ever speak again, I will” Pacey said, bitterly

* * *

Andie and Joey’s walk home was quiet and awkward

Finally Joey spoke

“I’m so sorry, Andie. I never meant to...”

“Do you love him?” Andie asked aggressively

“Um...” Joey wasn’t sure how to reply

“Yes or no?” Andie demanded

“Okay, yes, but its not worth...” Joey began

“Don’t give me that. Love is always worth it” Andie insisted

“But what about you and...” Joey started to ask

“I’m not going to stand in the way. If you and Pacey truly love each other, you should be together.”

“Andie, I couldn't do that to you”

“Don’t let me stand in your way” Andie was quite firm

“And what about Dawson?” Joey asked

“Ask him. But if he truly cares for you, he’ll understand” Andie insisted

They finally arrived at the Potter house. Joey went inside and explained everything to Bessie all over again.

“Well, it sounds like you have a choice to make” Bessie said “Who’s it going to be, the boy across the creek or the bad boy with the heart of gold?”

Joey smiled momentarily and then went back to beating herself up.

Andie went home alone and cried herself to sleep, but didn’t change her mind.


	12. FINALE - What is Love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pacey leaves and Joey makes a choice. Will refuses to take sides and tries to save Jack and Jen's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: For this chapter, the song choices take a sharp turn towards something that’s in the works

Joey was standing outside Dawson’s house, trying to thing of what to say, when Will came up behind her with a handful of pebbles, which he started throwing at Dawson’s window.

“Morning, Joey” he said, and then called out "DAWSON..."

Dawson emerged from the window and, upon seeing the two of them, descended the ladder.

“Oh my god, last night...” Dawson said, playing the events over in his mind

“I didn’t come here to rehash last night’s disaster, Dawson. I came to say goodbye. My scholarship to Rawley Academy came through, so I’m leaving.”

“When?”

“Today. Right now in fact.”

“That’s great, Will” Dawson said, and hugged him

“But I needed to tell you something before I leave. I can’t and won’t take sides. Until you and Pacey make up, don’t bother getting in touch with me. Since he’s also leaving in a few days, I strongly suggest that you use that time to bury the hatchet”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen” Dawson admitted, looking at Joey and wondering what the two of them would say to each other, once Will left

“In that case...” Will said, and handed a piece of paper to Joey

“Hang onto this, its important” and then Will walked off

Joey looked at the piece of paper and then folded it up and put it in her pocket

“So, about last night...”

“Joey, I’m so sorry about everything, but I just...”

“I didn’t want you to find out like that”

“How long?” Dawson asked

“Well, we nearly kissed at Aunt Gwen’s...”

“That explains...”

“And since then, we’ve made out maybe a couple of times. But each time we said it would be the last”

“Obviously it meant something or else it wouldn't have kept happening” Dawson folded his arms to show his disapproval

“And you wouldn’t have tried to hide it unless you knew what you were doing was wrong. Have you thought about what this would do to Andie?” he added. There was a subtle anger in his voice

“You and Andie” Joey insisted

“Well, now you have to make a choice. And since Pacey is leaving for the summer in a few days, you have until then. Please, Joey, for all the obvious reasons, and the not so obvious, pick me”

Joey sighed

“Dawson...” Joey began, wondering what to say next.

Dawson’s parents then emerged from the house and Mitch sat on one of the chairs on the porch. Dawson and Joey both noticed this and momentarily forgot about what they were talking about.

Gail got down on one knee and said “Mitch, will you remarry me?”

“Of course” he said and the two kissed and embraced

Dawson and Joey momentarily forgot everything else that was going on and smiled

* * *

Andie knocked on the door and Doug answered.

“How is he?” she asked

“Well, he’s still in one piece” he replied

“Can he come outside?”

Doug turned inside and yelled “Pacey, do you feel up to going for a walk?”

“Sure thing” he said back

He walked out the door with Andie and then tried to think of what to say to her

“Andie...” he had no idea what to say next

“It’s over!” Andie declared

“I, uh...”

“I mean of course its over, after everything that’s happened”

“Andie, I don’t know what to...”

“And given that its over, you have a decision to make” Andie continued

“Andie, it’s too early in the morning for twenty questions”

“Joey. Do you love her?”

“I’m not….”

“Yes or no?” She demanded

After a moment, he simply said “yes”

“Then tell her!”

“It’s not that simple...”

“Yes it is, you’re leaving for the summer in a few days. You can’t go without telling her how you feel”

“But what about you, us. We...”

“We can deal with that when you get back, but you need to deal with this and you need to deal with it now.”

“But what about Dawson?” Pacey asked

“Good question” It was Will that said it, having approached the two of them from behind.

“Will, I thought you were leaving?”

“I am, right now as a matter of fact. But I couldn’t leave without tell you something”

The two of them shared a hug.

“Alright, what is it?”

“I’m not taking sides and I’m not going to speak to either of you until you sort this out. No phone calls, no visits, nothing”

“Well, I don’t think there’s a reconciliation in the cards. At least not in the next few days”

“Then, I’m going to give this to you” Will said, giving Andie a piece of paper “Along with a message for Jen and your brother” he then whispered the message in her ear.

And then Will walked off, and left Capeside, possibly forever.

“What was that about?” Pacey asked

“Don’t change the subject. What are you going to do?”

“Well, first I’m going to ask my friends to hold a going away party for me”

Andie looked unimpressed

“And then I’ll figure things out from there” he added

Andie folded her arms

* * *

“What are you thinking?” Dawson asked Joey

They were at Dawson’s parents’ wedding. They were dancing to the song _I Think God Can Explain_ by Splendor

“Huh?” Joey was spaced out, but quickly returned to her senses

"I was just thinking about what we could do during the summer. Maybe take a trip to Boston”

“Joey, I’m glad you’re here”

“I’m glad I’m here too”

“But?”

“But, what?”

“You’re mind is elsewhere”

“No its not. I’m here. Mind and body, Dawson. You asked me to make a choice and I’ve chosen”

Dawson wasn’t so sure

* * *

Pacey’s going away party was the morning of Gail and Mitch’s ceremony. It was an unfortunate coincidence, but it happened.

Pacey, Andie, Jack, Jen and Grams were sitting around the table out the front of Grams’ house.

“You know, I’m really going to miss all of you” Pacey said

“Someone’s missing” Jack noticed

“Where’s Will? Shouldn't he be here?” Jen suggested

“He left already” Andie said

Jack and Jen were shocked

“But he wanted me to tell the two of you something”

Jack and Jen (as well as the others) were now hanging off Andie’s every word

“He said that he couldn’t choose between the two of you and he thought that, if he left, the two of you to choose each other”

Jack and Jen looked crushed

“Well, this is...” Jen started

“Depressing” Jack concluded

“You sound like a bunch of old ladies” Grams observed

“It’s been a tough couple of months all round” Jack insisted

“Tough, huh? You think you’re the only generation ever to go through something like this?”

“Grams, no offense, but what would you know about it?” Jen asked

“When I was... Just a few years older than you, I was working at Brunswick naval hospital, and I met a boy who had the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen. He was leaving for Pusan in the morning, but we had an entire glorious day on the beach, and at the end of that day, he leaned in close to me and whispered, ‘Will you wait for me?’"

“So...What did you do?” Andie asked

“I froze. I knew if I leaned just 2 inches closer, the world as I knew it would be changed forever.”

“So you did nothing?” Jen asked

“You didn't kiss him, you didn't try to speak to him. You just did nothing. Nothing. Did you ever wonder what your life might have been like if you had kissed him?” Jack inquired

“That is just the point. I don't have to wonder. The very next day, I got my best friend Sally to cover the shift for me. And after 7 turbulent hours in the cargo hold of a CL30... I arrived in San Diego, went straight to the dock, and in front of the entire crew of the _U.S.S. Missouri_ , I kissed him”

“That's funny” Jen said “I had no idea Gramps was in the Korean War”

“He wasn't. Thomas Culpepper... The boy with the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen... Died in Pusan in shallow water before he ever made it off the boat. 2 years later, I married your grandfather. So I had 46 wonderful years with one man and one perfect kiss with another. And I have no regrets. Wonder how many of you will be able to say that about your lives?”

* * *

After the ceremony, which was beautiful, Pacey walked past, on his way to the docks. He stopped momentarily to chat to Dawson.

 _I Think God Can Explain_ plays again

“Sorry I punched you” Dawson said

“I’m sorry you found out about, that, the way you did” Pacey replied

“I’m not. I got to see what kind of person you are” Dawson said

“So, that’s it. After ten years of friendship, its just, over”

“Looks that way” The two glared daggers at each other

Pacey finally ended the staring contest and approached Joey, and said to her “Bye”

Pacey walked off and Joey said nothing, but her face spoke volumes

* * *

“Get in the car!” Grams commanded, after Pacey had left

“What...” Jen briefly protested

“No questions, just get in. Andie, what’s on that piece of paper you’ve been holding?”

“Er, it looks like Will’s contact information”

“Good, that’s exactly what we need”

“I don’t understand” Jack protested, and Jen was thinking the same thing

“Just get in the car, child. I’ll explain on the way”

* * *

 _Erase and Rewind_ by the Cardigans begins playing

Dawson saw Joey standing on the dock and he walked up to her

“I’ve been such a fool” he said dramatically

“What?” Joey asked

“And possessive and selfish. But no more.”

“Dawson, what are you talking about?”

“You love Pacey, don’t you?”

“I just...”

“Yes or no?”

“Yes, but I..”

“Then go to him. Now. Just go”

“But, Dawson...”

“No buts, just go, tell him. If you leave now, you’ll probably catch him”

“But what about us?” Joey asked

“I don’t know. We’ll deal with that when you get back. Now, go!” he commanded

“Goodbye, Dawson” she said with a tear in her eye, then turned and ran

Dawson began to cry and slumped down on the dock. He thought, as his legs dangled over the edge, how easy it would be to just lean forward and fall in, but ultimately decided it would be too much effort, so he’d just sit there. When he was done crying, he just stared off into the distance, for what seemed like forever.

* * *

Grams pulled up outside the gas station. Jen got out of the car to ask for directions.

“Fill you up?” a girl roughly Jen’s age asked, holding a gas pump in her hand.

“Do you know how to get to Rawley academy?” Jen asked

“Boys or Girls?” the girl asked

Jen was monumentally confused

“Boys” a voice came from behind her

Jen turned around to see Will

She hugged him, then kissed him passionately for a few seconds.

Before Will had a chance to catch his breath, Jack emerged from the car, and then proceed to kiss him, in the same manner, for about the same amount of time.

“It’s good to see the two of you. How did you...” then he glanced inside the car, to see Andie holding the piece of paper he had given her. He then glanced across the other side of the car, to see the girl with the gas pump, smirking at him.

“Bella, do you want to give us a minute?” he said, and she went inside

“Is she your new girlfriend? Jack asked

“No, she’s just a friend” Will replied, now starting to blush

“Do you want to tell me why you drove all the way here to see me?” Will asked

“We talked it over, and we decided we don’t mind sharing” Jen declared boldly

“Well, that’s very, mature, of you” Will said, still blushing “but I don’t think I’m really ready for such an, er, open, relationship”

Now it was Jack and Jen’s turn to blush. Will decided to change the subject.

“Since you apparently know how to find me, could the two of you let me know when Dawson and Pacey make up, which they will”

“Sure thing” Jack said

“And tell them they’re more than welcome to visit me, when they do”

“You sound pretty confident they will make up” Jen observed

“I know them pretty well. They’ll work it out”

The three of them smiled, somewhat awkwardly at that.

* * *

Jessica Simpson’s song _I Think I’m In Love With You_ plays

Pacey was about to cast off, when he heard his name being yelled in the distance.

“PACEY, PACEY!”

It was Joey. He figured he owed her a goodbye, so he put down the rope.

“You’re just in time. One minute longer and you would have missed me”

“I need to tell you something” Joey said abruptly

“Make it snappy. I’m just about to cast off here”

“iloveyouandiwanttogowithyou” she sputtered out so quickly, forgetting to pause between words

“Okay, I take it back. Take your time”

“I love you...” Joey said, panting

“aha” Pacey replied

“and...” Joey was struggling to get the word out

“go on” Pacey insisted

“I want to come with you” Joey almost hyperventilating

“Well you picked a hell of a time to drop this little bombshell”

“Or maybe I picked the perfect time. One more minute and I would have missed you” Joey said, as her breathing slowly returned to normal

“What about your family? What about the B&B? What about Dawson and Andie?”

“Bessie will understand. Andie pretty much insisted that we do this...”

“The girl can be forceful. She said more or less the same thing to me”

“And Dawson, well we can deal with Dawson when we get back. He knows I’m here and why. What matters isn’t them. What matters is us” She was speaking with such conviction, it reminded Pacey a little of Andie

“You make a good point. And what about us?”

Joey kissed him passionately, for several seconds

“Well, Potter, you drive a hard bargain, and I reluctantly accept” Pacey said, before lifting Joey up and placing her on board. Once on board, they kissed again and sailed off into the sunset.

 _I Think I’m In Love With You_ plays again

* * *

When Grams arrived back at home, Dawson’s yard was now empty, save for all the decorations, table settings and half empty wine glasses. All the Wedding guests had left. Gail and Mitch had driven off and Dawson was sitting on the dock, staring into the distance with a vacant look in his eye. Everyone in the car noticed this as Grams’ pulled up in the driveway.

“I’ll go talk to him” Jen said “If I’m not back in half an hour, come join me” she added.

Jen walked up to Dawson on the dock. The tears were fresh in his eyes, but he wasn’t crying.

The Song _Pay No Mind_ by Beck begins to play

“What happened?” Jen asked

“I let her go. I told her to go after him” Dawson said, in a voice that indicated he was not quite all there.

“For what its worth, you did the right thing. One day, you’ll see that” Jen said. Then she grabbed his arm and walked him into the house. Dawson’s senses slowly returned to him. While they were on the porch, Jen pulled out a tissue from her pocket and wiped the tears from his eyes. Then their eyes locked and they started kissing, for some reason.

The song _Sex Type Thing_ by Stone Temple Pilots played

It made no sense to either of them, but neither were in their right minds at that moment. They continued inside, making out the whole way.

“Wait, this feels like a mistake” Jen said at the base of the stairs, adding “I didn’t say stop”

They ascended the stairs, kissing the whole way. They entered the bedroom, Jen lay down on Dawson’s bed and Dawson lay top of her, and then they stopped.

They stopped because they realised they weren’t alone. A figure was now casting a shadow on the two of them. They craned their heads to see the figure standing there, silent, still, with a completely stoic expression.

“Well, this is awkward” Daria said

**Author's Note:**

> Concluding remarks  
> As I said in the intro, the idea was the starting and ending points were more or less the same, but the way we get there is quite different. I hope you enjoyed the story. From here, the story continues with my next story “Daria’s Graduation Trip”, unless you are reading this on ff.net, in which case, that will be the epilogue.  
> After that. I am intending to do season four, with a similar philosophy.
> 
> A note on music  
> The songs mentioned, whether diagetic (in-universe) or non-diagetic (just there for the audience’s sake, not a part of the universe) are not plot relevant. If you don’t know them, you aren’t missing any plot relevant information, just some really cool music you should check out. I have tried to keep the song choices in line with the type of music used on the show, except for the last chapter, where the song choices were meant as foreshadowing.


End file.
